Confusion over the US-UK trade deal has some ultra-luxury cars in limbo
- Bentley has reportedly decided to halt some exports to the United States.
- Custom order vehicles are still coming stateside, but ‘off the shelf’ models aren’t.
- The pause appears to be related to confusion over the recent US-UK trade deal.
Bentley customers aren’t exactly hurting for excess funds, but that hasn’t stopped the company from halting some exports to the United States. Unsurprisingly, the issue is related to President Trump’s trade war, which has resulted in soaring costs as well as plenty of confusion.
According to Automotive News, Bentley has stopped importing ‘off the rack’ models that would simply sit on dealership lots until being sold. Vehicles ordered by customers aren’t impacted and this means deliveries will continue.
More: Trump Cuts Big Break For British Cars And Detroit Is Fuming
By focusing on customer orders, the impact of the hold should remain limited. However, Bentley only has around 378 vehicles in inventory, so a prolonged delay could cause shortages.
That seems unlikely, but the luxury automaker appears to be waiting for more information about the US-UK trade deal. As we reported last month, the first 100,000 vehicles imported into the United States by UK automakers each year would be subject to a 10% tariff. After that point, the tariff would increase to 25%.
At the time, the Prime Minister’s office billed the deal as a win for automakers as tariffs would be lowered from 27.5% to 10%. This promised to save Jaguar Land Rover “hundreds of millions a year.”
However, there appears to be some confusion about the 100,000 vehicle limit and how it will be implemented. Bentley Americas CEO Mike Rocco seemed to acknowledge as much as he told the publication, “Every U.K. manufacturer is trying to understand the matter.”
While the situation is still hazy, Bentley is reportedly holding the line on pricing for customer orders placed through June. However, new pricing is coming in July and vehicles will presumably become more expensive as – even under the new trade deal – the tariff on British automotive imports would climb from 2.5% to 10%. That’s a significant jump, especially considering Bentley only raised prices by an average of 0.5% for the 2025 model year.
Source: Automotive News
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