"I instructed Secretary Ross to consider initiating a Section 232 investigation into imports of automobiles, including trucks, and automotive parts to determine their effects on America’s national security," Trump said on Wednesday.
In the realease Trump added that "core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a Nation."
The proposal may see opposition from foreign trading partners to domestic car dealers of imported vehicles, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier.
"There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry," Ross said in a statement. "The Department of Commerce will conduct a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation into whether such imports weaken our internal economy and may impair the national security."
The Department will look into imports of automobiles, including SUVs, light trucks and vans, as well as auto parts after estimating that imports of passenger vehicles grew from 32 percent of cars sold in the United States to 48 percent over the past two decades.
The US stock market dropped dramatically after Trump announced the US tariffs on steel and aluminum because it stirred up fears of a trade war with countries like China.