U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce this week he is delaying a decision on whether to slap tariffs on cars and auto parts imported from the European Union, likely for another six months, EU officials said.

"We have a solid indication from the administration that there will not be tariffs on us this week," one EU official said.

The Trump administration has a Thursday deadline to decide whether to impose threatened "Section 232" national security tariffs of as much as 25% on imported vehicles and parts under a Cold War-era trade law. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Nov. 3 the United States may not need such tariffs after holding "good conversations" with automakers in the European Union, Japan and South Korea.

Trump last May delayed a decision on the tariffs by six months, and another delay would cause automakers across the globe to breathe a sigh of relief.

EU officials said while a further six-month delay was likely, Trump's actions were unpredictable and he would likely keep the threat of car tariffs hanging over them as the United States and European Union pursue trade negotiations in the coming year.