Ports see Growth in Exports of Partly Assembled Cars
SAVANNAH, GA—The burgeoning growth in U.S. auto exports may be coming in separate parts. The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. automakers are exporting more cars this year, even as proposed tariffs on imported vehicles, and key materials such as steel and aluminum, are raising concerns over global supply chains.
Some American ports say they’re seeing even faster growth in partly assembled vehicles, however, a sign that manufacturers are resetting their factory and overseas distribution strategies to adjust to growing threats of tariffs.
At the Georgia ports of Savannah and Brunswick, which handle exports for several large manufacturing operations in the Southeast, auto exports are up 12 percent in the current fiscal year while auto-parts exports have risen 56 percent. Partly assembled cars, which are completed by workers in the destination country, are counted as auto parts.