The USA’s trade war on imported goods continues to destabilise the sim racing equipment market, with Asetek SimSports warning of possible price changes.
“What I can say is, for now, we do have a little bit of inventory at the old prices that has not been tariffed more than or taxed more than the 20%, so that’s the prices as normal,” said the Danish company’s CEO, André Eriksen.
“The best I can offer you right now is to buy from the current inventory we have in the US, and where it’s going from there on is really impossible for me to tell.”
Asetek SimSports manufactures elements of its range in Europe, Malaysia and China. Under President Donald Trump, the European Union was hit with a 20% tariff on all imported goods and Malaysia 24%, announced on 2nd April – although these were reduced to 10% respectively for a 90-day ‘pause’ just days later.
Products manufactured in China, meanwhile, were hit with a 20% tariff in March. Following that initial implementation, a trade war between the two nations began earlier this month, with escalating tariffs now sitting at 145% for Chinese goods entering the USA.
On the 12th April, smartphones and computers were excluded, then a day later, President Trump threatened that they could still be tariffed, just at a different levy rate. It remains to be seen if that includes further electronic devices.
Discussion