France, March 27 -- The European Union has vowed to take "proportionate and necessary" action after US President Donald Trump announced steep new tariffs on all foreign-made cars, a move set to fuel tensions with trading partners worldwide.

"What we're going to be doing is a 25 percent tariff on all cars that are not made in the United States. If they're made in the United States, it is absolutely no tariff," Trump said at the White House on Wednesday.

The measure will take effect at 12:01am eastern time on 3 April and will impact foreign-made cars and light trucks, with key automobile parts also to be hit within the month.

The move, part of a wave of tariffs introduced since Trump returned to the presidency in January, has heightened ...