Mercantilism (from French mercantile 'commercial', Latin mercator 'merchant') is, according to Wikipedia, an economic policy that aims to export as many goods as possible from the country and allow as few goods as possible into the country. And this is precisely the goal currently being pursued by US President Trump.

From Shimano, Jonathan Davis explains: "From Shimano's perspective, a wait-and-see approach is the order of the day. While there are still discussions about the market situation, it is clear to us that these tariffs will have an impact on an industry that is struggling to regain its position in this post-pandemic world. As I said, it remains to be seen what will happen next."

For Trek, Veit Hammer describes the situation: "With the Diamant plant in Hartmannsdorf, we own a factory where we build all bikes and e-bikes for Europe, including Switzerland. We receive bikes in the lower price segments from Asia. We also operate two warehouses in Halle and Harderwijk in Europe. As a globally positioned company, we have a strong commitment to Europe as a location, which we have been expanding for years."

On behalf of the industry association Velosuisse, Martin Platter says: "At the moment, it's not dramatic. Switzerland is still neutral and not part of the EU. We negotiate directly with the USA - as we do with China, by the way. That's why I'm not very worried about the bike industry at the moment. Especially as our warehouses are very well stocked."

Adrian Zahnd, CCO at Scott Sports, takes a differentiated view of the situation: "I think we should wait and see and not get carried away. The examples of Canada and Mexico in particular have shown that a lot of noise is first made to get the other party around the table. Then concessions by the countries are advertised in a PR-effective manner and announced as a win for the USA. Furthermore, the implementation of tariffs is extremely challenging, as we have seen in the case of Brexit, for example. Should the tariffs really remain in place, the bicycle industry does not really have any options, as high tariffs apply wherever bicycles and components are manufactured or assembled. First and foremost Cambodia, Vietnam and Taiwan, but also Europe, where most bikes or parts for the USA originate. In this case, Scott is fortunate to be able to count on a geographically diversified distribution network that operates successfully in over 80 countries around the globe."