The Trump administration has initiated a national security investigation into automotive imports that would clear the way for the imposition of new tariffs on cars from Europe, Japan and South Korea and lead to a major escalation of global trade tensions. 

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday night he had instructed Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, to look at launching an investigation into imports of cars, trucks and automotive parts, using Section 232 of the 1962 trade act — the national security provisions used to justify the introduction of tariffs on steel and aluminium earlier this year.

In a statement sent out at the same time, Mr Ross said he had initiated an investigation. “There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry,” Mr Ross said. “The Department of Commerce will conduct a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation into whether such imports are weakening our internal economy and may impair the national security.”