INTERNATIONAL carmakers are rushing to ship vehicles and core components to the US to get ahead of the next round of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which threaten to wreak havoc on automotive supply chains.

In response to requests from auto manufacturers, car-carrying vessels have been dispatched to Asia and Europe amid plans to carry "thousands" more vehicles than usual to the US, according to industry officials.

Lasse Kristoffersen, chief executive of the leading vehicle shipping line Wallenius Wilhelmsen, told London's Financial Times that there was "more volume out of Asia than we're able to take from our customers".

The company has added capacity to address the demand, he said, adding that the increase would be larger were it not for the industry's shortage of car-carrier vessels.

Mr Trump has said that "reciprocal" tariffs on the US's trading partners will come into effect on April 2 - the same day that a 30-day reprieve ends on the president's pledge to impose 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada.

South Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia were among those trying to ship more vehicles to the US before the new tariff deadline. Hyundai declined to comment on its strategy but said: "We continuously optimise our shipment plans to adapt to market conditions."

An official at a German carmaker said it was shipping more vehicles from Europe to the US to address the tariff threat.

The rush has led to a 22 per cent per cent year-on-year rise in vehicle shipments from the EU to the US in February, while those from Japan increased 14 per cent. Shipments from South Korea to North America were up 15 per cent.

While the 30-day delay to tariffs have given carmakers additional time to ship inventory to the US, Cody Lusk, chief executive of the American International Automobile Dealers Association said the bigger uncertainty was over how long the tariffs would last and who they would ultimately apply to.

"We're all waiting to see," Mr Lusk said. "Is each country treated differently? Is everybody the same?"

Wallenius Wilhelmsen's Kristoffersen said: "The bigger question is how will it affect the car trade over time. Customers are very uncertain which direction this will take."