The value of imported sedans in the first half of the year plunged more than 22 percent from a year earlier, as many consumers put their purchase plans on hold in hopes of a tariff reduction for Taiwan during the ongoing negotiations between Taipei and Washington, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
Data released Thursday by the MOF showed that the value of sedan imports totaled US$3.34 billion in the period January to June, down 22.2 percent from a year earlier, which was the steepest decline in 16 years.
Sedan imports from the United States suffered the largest year-on-year drop, falling 37.5 percent to US$311 million, the MOF said, attributing the sharp decline to consumers anticipation of reduced vehicle tariffs and commodity taxes during the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Taipei.
Photo: Amy Yang, Taipei Times
On April 2, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs on imports, including a 32 percent levy on Taiwan goods, before announcing a 90-day pause on April 9 to allow the U.S.’ trading partners to negotiate for lower rates.
Negotiations between the U.S. and Taiwan are at a “crucial stage,” according to Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), who returned from the latest talks in Washington late last week and urged the Taiwan public to be patient.
Meanwhile, the value of Taiwan’s imported sedans from Germany and Japan fell by 26.8 percent and 3.19 percent, respectively, to US$1.09 billion and US$1.05 billion, in the first half of the year, the MOF’s data showed.
Outside the auto market, the MOF said, the import value of capital equipment was boosted by solid demand for semiconductor and information communication equipment, surging almost 60 percent in the first half of the year from a year earlier.
On the export front, Taiwan’s sales of electronic components rose 22.2 percent from a year earlier to US $98.7 billion in the first half of the year, driven by the growing popularity of artificial intelligence applications.
Taiwan’s exports of integrated circuits soared 23.5 percent, or US$17.6 billion, from a year earlier during the six-month period, as demand for AI applications for electronics gadgets boosted shipments of advanced chips, the MOF said.
In addition, Taiwan’s exports of capacitors and resistors spiked 11.3 percent year-on-year, driven by growing demand for high-end models amid AI development, while exports of printed circuit boards (PCBs) rose 4.8 percent on rising demand for AI servers, the MOF said.
However, amid escalating competition from China, exports of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fell 7.4 percent year-on-year in the six months, marking the fourth consecutive year of decline, the MOF said.
ENERGY ISSUES: The TSIA urged the government to increase natural gas and helium reserves to reduce the impact of the Middle East war on semiconductor supply stability Chip testing and packaging service provider ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控) yesterday said it planned to invest more than NT$100 billion (US$3.15 billion) in building a new advanced chip testing facility in Kaohsiung to keep up with customer demand driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. That would be included in the company’s capital expenditure budget next year, ASE said. There is also room to raise this year’s capital spending budget from a record-high US$7 billion estimated three months ago, it added. ASE would have six factories under construction this year, another record-breaking number, ASE chief operating officer Tien Wu
The EU and US are nearing an agreement to coordinate on producing and securing critical minerals, part of a push to break reliance on Chinese supplies. The potential deal would create incentives, such as minimum prices, that could advantage non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft of an “action plan” seen by Bloomberg. The EU and US would also cooperate on standards, investments and joint projects, as well as coordinate on any supply disruptions by countries like China. The two sides are additionally seeking other “like-minded partners” to join a multicountry accord to help create these new critical mineral supply chains, which feed into
For weeks now, the global tech industry has been waiting for a major artificial intelligence (AI) launch from DeepSeek (深度求索), seen as a benchmark for China’s progress in the fast-moving field. More than a year has passed since the start-up put Chinese AI on the map in early last year with a low-cost chatbot that performed at a similar level to US rivals. However, despite reports and rumors about its imminent release, DeepSeek’s next-generation “V4” model is nowhere in sight. Speculation is also swirling over the geopolitical implications of which computer chips were chosen to train and power the new
Intel Corp is joining Elon Musk’s long-shot effort to develop semiconductors for Tesla Inc, Space Exploration Technologies Corp and xAI, marking a surprising twist in the chipmaker’s comeback bid. Intel would help the Terafab project “refactor” the technology in a chip factory, the company said on Tuesday in a post on X, Musk’s social media platform. That is a stage in the development process that typically helps make chips more powerful or reliable. The chipmaker’s shares jumped 4.2 percent to US$52.91 in New York trading on Tuesday. The Terafab project is a grand plan by Musk to eventually manufacture his own chips for
RSS