Volvo is the latest automaker to ask the U.S. government for an exemption from steep tariffs on Chinese-made SUVs, Reuters reported Friday. Buick asked trade officials in July for an exemption from a 25-percent tariff on its China-made Envision SUV earlier this year, although Volvo's interest in seeking relief from the measure is far greater. In August, the XC60 accounted for more than 31 percent of overall sales for Volvo, according to the automaker. Since May, the U.S. has imported most of its Volvo XC60 models from China, although the automaker originally imported them from its factory in Sweden when the car was launched. Unlike Buick, which petitioned for an exemption for 40,000 of its China-built Envision crossover, Volvo is seeking an unlimited exemption for XC60 crossovers built in China, according to Reuters. Earlier this year, Volvo opened its first North American production facility near Charleston, S.C., where it builds the S60 sedan and eventually the XC90 full-size crossover. DON'T MISS: Global trade war prompts Volvo to put brakes on its IPO In its letter to the U.S. Trade Representative, Volvo said it could eventually build the XC60 crossover in America, but said that a proposed 25-percent tariff would be unfairly passed to consumers. When Volvo opened its North American plant in June, CEO Hakan Samuelsson said that steep tariffs could threaten jobs at that plant and that eliminating global trade restrictions was the "right way" for the auto industry. “We will export as many cars from this factory as we will import in the U.S...That is a good example of how trade with cars should work in an open and free economy,” he said in June.
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