Audi, the German automotive brand with a range of major sports sponsorships in place, has temporarily halted its exports of cars to the US, in response to US president Donald Trump’s newly-launched tariff policies.
In an internal memo to dealers, Audi, a subsidiary of carmaker Volkswagen Group, said the decision applies to all cars delivered to US ports after April 2, when the 25% Trump-enforced tariffs on imported cars into the US took effect.
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While not direct, the tariffs could have a knock-on effect for Audi’s investments in sport as the company attempts to mitigate the cost of the tariffs, including cutting back on or pausing its sponsorship activations in the US, given how prohibitive it is to sell its products in that market.
Audi has invested heavily in sports and has several US soccer sponsorship deals in place. In addition to its title sponsorship of the season-ending playoffs in Major League Soccer, Audi is the naming rights partner for DC United’s Audi Field. The firm is also the automotive partner for Inter Miami, Orlando City, Sporting Kansas City, New York Red Bulls, and San Jose Earthquakes, as well as their partnership with the New York Yankees.
Last month, the brand renewed its stadium sponsorship of Yankee Stadium, the home arena of baseball’s New York Yankees, meanwhile.
Away from the US, Audi is also set to enter motor racing’s elite Formula 1 in 2026 as an engine provider, having purchased Swiss motorsport engineering company Sauber, operator of the F1 Sauber team, to facilitate its entry onto the grid.
With retaliatory tariffs being imposed by other countries, a trade war could impact any team or league needing equipment that is made in the US.
The European Sponsorship Association has told public news outlet the BBC that it is “monitoring the situation closely and will actively seek the views of the sports sponsorship community.”
It added: “As a representative body, we will respond accordingly if there proves to be any sign of a material negative impact on the industry.”
Assessing the situation, Conrad Wiacek, head of analysis at GlobalData Sport, commented: “Audi suspending shipments of cars to the US in response to the tariffs imposed by the US administration is a direct threat to several sponsorships Audi has in place in the market.
“Overall, Audi has committed $28.99 million annually to the US sports sector, and in light of the tariffs and restrictions imposed, may look to revisit or terminate those deals entirely.
“The wider impact on the automotive industry is yet to be felt when it comes to sponsorships, but the industry commits just under $2 billion to sponsorships in terms of active sponsorship deals, so as this crisis deepens, those deals may be under threat.
“Additionally, the likes of Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, and BMW all commit significant sums to sponsoring in the NBA, NFL, and MLB, deals which could all be under threat moving forward.”
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