President Trump said Thursday that he may increase tariffs on automobile imports “in the not-too-distant future.”

“To further defend our autoworkers, I imposed this 25 percent tariff on all foreign automobiles, and investment in American manufacturing and auto manufacturing — all manufacturing — is surging,” Trump said.

“And I might go up with that tariff in the not-too-distant future,” Trump added. “The higher you go, the more likely it is they build a plant here.”

His comments came at a White House event to block a California state rule that would ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

Trump touted incoming investments from Ford and General Motors, crediting his tariffs for those announcements. However, foreign carmakers like Hyundai have warned they may have to raise prices because of tariffs.

The president has aggressively imposed — and pulled back — tariffs on various sectors, such as automobiles and steel and aluminum, while threatening additional tariffs on pharmaceuticals and other specific imports.

He has also imposed a 10 percent blanket tariff on all imports while announcing and later suspending higher tariff rates on dozens of other nations.