*

Tariff uncertainty affecting car shipments to US, shipper

says

*

New 15% tariff not implemented yet, leaving higher rate

for now

*

Carmakers held back shipments in early Q2, volumes rose

later

(Adds details from paragraph 2 on shipment pattern from

customers, CEO quote, background)

By Marie Mannes

STOCKHOLM, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Europe's car exporters are

still struggling with uncertainty over U.S. tariffs despite last

month's trade deal, Wallenius Wilhelmsen ( WAWIF ), the operator

of one of the world's largest car-carrier fleets, told Reuters

on Tuesday.

The U.S. and European Union struck a trade deal in late July

that saw U.S. import tariffs on most goods from Europe,

including cars, set at 15%. Cars had initially faced a 27.5%

levy after U.S. President Donald Trump hiked tariffs this year.

However, the new 15% rate has not yet been implemented for

cars, meaning that Wallenius customers such as BMW,

Mercedes-Benz and Volvo Cars still face the

higher rate.

The absence of an executive order from Trump lowering the

autos tariff has left the industry holding its breath for

potential last-minute changes.

"So far we actually do not know exactly what the tariff

level will be. Our customers do not know either, so it is too

early to say what they'll do," Wallenius CEO Lasse Kristoffersen

said following the company's quarterly results.

While carmakers raced earlier this year to ship cars to the

U.S. ahead of the tariff hike to 27.5%, the opposite happened at

the start of the second quarter, Kristoffersen said.

"We saw that they held more back in the start of the second

quarter but that volumes increased throughout the quarter," he

said.