--- title: "The U.S. Secretary of Commerce wants to \"dig\" into Europe's core enterprises! Mercedes-Benz CEO: Europe is going to compete!" description: "U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo is actively lobbying Mercedes-Benz to relocate its headquarters to the United States. She presented various advantages of investing in the U.S. to the CEO of M" type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/274247182.md" published_at: "2026-01-30T04:16:57.000Z" --- # The U.S. Secretary of Commerce wants to "dig" into Europe's core enterprises! Mercedes-Benz CEO: Europe is going to compete! > U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo is actively lobbying Mercedes-Benz to relocate its headquarters to the United States. She presented various advantages of investing in the U.S. to the CEO of Mercedes-Benz, including lower energy costs, streamlined regulations, and low tax rates. This comes at a time when German automakers are facing the dual pressures of U.S. tariffs and high production costs, leading to a continuous squeeze on profit margins The Trump administration is actively lobbying top European manufacturers to relocate their headquarters to the United States, highlighting the fierce competition across the Atlantic in attracting investment. According to the Financial Times, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius revealed that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross suggested about a year ago that the German automaker move its headquarters to the U.S. Källenius stated that he rejected the proposal but warned that such aggressive investment solicitation from the U.S. sends a clear signal to Europe and Germany: they must face competition from the U.S. **Ross showcased many advantages of investing in the U.S., including lower energy costs, streamlined regulations, and low tax rates.** This incident comes at a time when German automakers are facing dual pressures from U.S. tariffs and high domestic production costs, leading to shrinking profit margins. Meanwhile, many European companies are frustrated with the increasing regulations from Brussels, further undermining Europe's investment appeal. ## U.S. Secretary of Commerce's Investment Push Källenius confirmed on Thursday that he met with Ross in New York about a year before Ross was appointed as Secretary of Commerce in the Trump administration. "Ross excellently presented the compelling reasons to invest in the U.S.: lower energy costs, streamlined regulations, and low tax rates," Källenius stated. Despite rejecting the suggestion to relocate headquarters, Källenius emphasized the significant message conveyed by this incident. "If you want capital to flow to Europe, you are actually participating in competition. We are in competition," he said. ## Dual Pressure Facing German Automakers German automakers are currently facing multiple challenges. On one hand, U.S. tariffs on imported cars are squeezing export profits; on the other hand, high production costs in the domestic market further weaken competitiveness. Källenius stated that Mercedes-Benz expects "no relief from tariffs in the foreseeable future," but the company will continue to invest in the U.S. The company, which is celebrating the 140th anniversary of Carl Benz's patent for the first internal combustion engine car, currently has factories in Alabama and South Carolina. Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume told the German business newspaper Handelsblatt over the weekend that "large-scale additional investments are financially unfeasible" if tariffs are not reduced. ## EU Regulations Trigger Business Discontent Many European companies are disappointed with the increasing regulatory measures proposed by Brussels. Some German automakers are skeptical about the EU's plans to introduce local content rules, believing this could lead to rising costs. Källenius warned that such rules should not be "implemented in a heavy-handed manner, as they could stifle growth, raise inflation, and cut off trade." He emphasized that Europe needs to recognize that it is facing investment competition and must understand the mindset of investors and the advantages the U.S. has in the business environment. This statement reflects deep concerns within the European business community regarding the regulatory environment and investment attractiveness, highlighting the severe challenges Europe faces from the U.S. in the flow of global capital ### Related Stocks - [CARU.US - Max Auto Industry 3X Leveraged ETN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CARU.US.md) - [BMW3.DE - Bayerische Motoren Werke AG Pref](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BMW3.DE.md) - [DAI.DE - Daimler AG](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DAI.DE.md) - [MBGYY.US - Mercedes-Benz Group AG](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MBGYY.US.md) - [MOTO.US - SmartETFs Smart Transportation & Tech ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MOTO.US.md) - [CARZ.US - First Trust S-Network Future Vehicles & Tech ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CARZ.US.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | 奔驰中国换帅，告别 “段建军时代” | 首位本土高管身退。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275976978.md) | | 奔驰部分车型指导价下调 10%，2025 年 BBA 在华销量均下滑 | 奔驰于 2 月 1 日下调部分车型的建议零售价格，幅度约为 10%，主要涉及 C 级、GLC 和 GLB 等车型。尽管价格下调，销售人员表示实际销售价格未有变化。2025 年，奔驰在华销量同比下滑 19%，为 BBA 中降幅最大，反映出中国 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275064237.md) | | 梅赛德斯 - 奔驰首席执行官表示，销售额下降主要归因于中国市场的激烈竞争 | 梅赛德斯 - 奔驰首席执行官：销售减少主要是由于中国市场竞争激烈 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275715687.md) | | 梅赛德斯 - 奔驰集团（OTCMKTS:MBGYY）公布季度财报结果 | 梅赛德斯 - 奔驰集团 (OTCMKTS:MBGYY) 报告季度每股收益为 0.42 加元，股本回报率为 6.59%，净利润率为 4.51%。该股下跌 1.3%，报 16.88 加元，市值为 650.2 亿加元。分析师已将该股评级上调至 “ | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275787356.md) | | 奔驰中国换帅，告别 “段建军时代” | 奔驰中国总裁段建军因个人原因辞职，将于 3 月 1 日由李德思接任。段建军是奔驰在华首位本土 CEO，他的离任标志着一个时代的结束。尽管面临市场挑战，段建军在任期间保持了奔驰的品牌形象和价格体系。随着新能源车的崛起，奔驰需要新的战略来应对市 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275977054.md) | --- > **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.