June 26 (Reuters) - Volvo Cars will

postpone the U.S. deliveries of its EX30 electric vehicle as it

focuses on expanding production of the compact SUV outside China

in the wake of tariff hikes on exports from the country, a

company spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Volvo had previously said it would begin selling the EX30 in

the United States later this year, but a spokesperson on

Wednesday told Reuters that deliveries will not start until

2025, in part due to the introduction of tariffs of more than

100% on Chinese EV imports by the U.S. government.

U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled steep tariff hikes on

Chinese imports last month, including over 100% on EVs, up from

27.5% earlier.

Subsequently, the European Commission has also said it would

impose extra duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese electric

cars from July, risking retaliation from Beijing, which said it

would take measures to safeguard its interests.

Volvo, the Swedish luxury brand owned by China's

Geely, started building the EX30 in Zhangjiakou,

China, and said last year it would expand production of the

small electric SUV to a plant in Belgium beginning 2025.

The Volvo spokesperson said on Wednesday the Belgium plant

will primarily serve North America and Europe.