WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump

met General Motors ( GM ) CEO Mary Barra on Wednesday to discuss

the automaker's investment plans amid his tariff war, a White

House official told Reuters.

In meetings with automakers, Trump and Commerce Secretary

Howard Lutnick have said they want the industry to move more

assembly and production of parts to the United States.

Trump last week agreed to exempt automakers for a month from

his punishing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico so long as they

complied with existing free trade rules.

The decision followed a telephone call with Barra, Ford

CEO Jim Farley and Stellantis ( STLA ) chair John

Elkann.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters of Barra's visit the

previous day, adding, "They want to invest $60 billion."

The period over which any new spending may occur is unclear.

Automakers have told the White House they need certainty about

policies on tariffs and vehicle emissions before they can make

significant changes in North American investment plans.

Asked about the meeting, a GM spokesperson said, "We share

President Trump's goals of a strong and competitive American

manufacturing base and economy."

This week Trump imposed bulked-up tariffs on steel and

aluminum, affecting nearly $150 billion worth of products made

from the metals, ranging from cars to bulldozer blades.

The metals tariffs were hiked to an effective increase of

25% as prior exemptions, exclusions and quotas expired.

Last month, Ford's Farley warned that in the long term, a

tariff of 25% across the Mexican and Canadian borders would

"blow a hole" in the U.S. industry never before seen.

The American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the

Detroit Three automakers, said domestic automakers buy the vast

majority of their steel and aluminum in the United States or

North America.

However, it flagged concerns that specifically revoking

exemptions for Canada and Mexico would add significant costs for

their suppliers.

Last week, Stellantis ( STLA ) told dealers it was prepared to work

with Trump to support further investment in U.S. manufacturing

operations but needed time for changes that did not hurt the

business and customers.

Trump has also threatened new reciprocal tariffs on April 2

that could drastically boost the costs of vehicles imported from

Europe, Japan and South Korea.