AUTOS

U.S. Ordered to Refund Tariffs to Nissan: The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that Japanese auto maker Nissan Motor Co. must be refunded the difference between truck and car tariffs. Judge Jane Restani said the government has to give Nissan the difference between the 25% truck tariff and the current 2.5% car tariff because its two-door Pathfinder sports utility vehicle should be classified as a car for tariff purposes. The government argued that the vehicles, which Nissan stopped selling in the United States in 1989, should be classified as trucks, making them subject to a 25% import duty. Auto makers in Detroit were hoping that the court would classify the vehicles as trucks, clearing the way for a broader ruling on all imported minivans and sport-utility vehicles. A four-door version of the Pathfinder, which was classified as a car because it carried more passengers, is still sold in the United States and is subject to a 2.5% tariff.