Announced on Monday October 1, 2018, Canada joined the U.S. and Mexico in an agreement to revamp the former North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new agreement, which does away with the NAFTA name, will now be called the U.S. – Mexico – Canada Agreement or USMCA. While the deal will not be completed until it is ratified by each country’s respective legislatures, the tentative pact addresses several key areas of trade including those involving the automotive sector.
Highlights of the new deal, which will affect the auto industry, include:
Interestingly, the new trade deal does not change the U.S. imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum from both Canada and Mexico. These tariffs will apparently remain in effect for the time being and will be dealt with separately, if at all, in the future.
With the possible ratification of the new USMCA still several months away, the ultimate practical effects these changes will have on the automotive industry remains to be seen.
Warner’s Automotive Industry Group attorneys regularly assist automotive suppliers in navigating the complex legal issues affecting the automotive industry. To learn more, please contact a member of our Automotive Industry Group.