BERLIN (Reuters) - BMW will propose this week that the European Union lower its tariff on U.S. car imports to 2.5% from 10%, in line with the current U.S. import tariff, the German automaker's CEO Oliver Zipse said on Tuesday.

German carmaker BMW called Tuesday for the European Union to lower tariffs on vehicles imported from the United States, as President Donald Trump threatens to hit the bloc with new duties. The manufacturer said CEO Oliver Zipse is set to put the proposal forward at a meeting of Europe’s biggest carmakers with EU officials in Brussels on Thursday.

BMW said in a statement that EU duties on battery electric vehicles “harm business models of globally active companies.”