The Trump regime has now formally declared that the next deadline for Trump's tariffs on foreign cars and car parts arrived in six months or 180-days, pushing the deadline to November 18th.
With that said, Trump has the authority to impose tariffs on foreign cars and parts at any time before November 18th and I would say that's more likely than not.
In the formal announcement delaying his tariffs, Trump declared that any deal with the European Union (EU) must reduce imports, but EU officials responded by rejecting the notion of artificially limiting exports with quotas.
From NBC News:
“The negotiation process will be led by United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and, if agreements are not reached within 180 days, the President will determine whether and what further action needs to be taken.”
In his proclamation, Trump argued in part that “domestic conditions of competition must be improved by reducing imports.” [...]
In a statement Friday, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said “we completely reject the notion that our car exports are a national security threat.” She added that the trade bloc “is prepared to negotiate a limited trade agreement” including cars, but not so-called managed trade, in which the partners could set targets like quotas.
When the time comes, Trump may decide that destroying the auto industry would not be beneficial to his reelection campaign, but I believe that is the only thing that could possibly stop this from happening.
Trump has not negotiated his way to as substantive trade agreement in the last two years and everything we know tells us negotiations with the EU will begin from an untenable position that calls for impractical and politically-dubious concessions on the part of the EU. Foreign nations have dignity and the agency to preserve it in the face of Trump's threats.
The actual economics of foreign trade have not played into any of Trump's decision or negotiating tactics. Everything he does is about appearances.