US President Donald Trump | Scott Olson/Getty Images German carmakers remind Trump they create 110,000 US jobs Trump described Germany as “bad, very bad” because of its car sales on Thursday.

Germany's auto industry today hit back at criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump by insisting that it had created more than 100,000 jobs in the U.S., which would be endangered by trade restrictions.

Trump described Germany as "bad, very bad" because of its car sales in a meeting with EU officials Thursday. “See the millions of cars they are selling in the U.S. Terrible. We will stop this,” Trump said, according to Der Spiegel.

Germany's influential Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) warned that the 265 plants owned by German carmakers and automotive parts manufacturers created 110,000 jobs. Half of those depended on the export business.

"For German manufacturers, the U.S. is not just an important market, but more than ever a significant production location,” said VDA President Matthias Wissmann. “Investment in the U.S. and the international exchange of goods are inseparable for us.”

German carmakers — including BMW and Daimler — made some 854,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2016, according to VDA figures. That marks a four-fold increase on the 214,000 produced in the country in 2009.

The VDA said that just 38 percent of cars produced in the U.S. by German companies are sold in the U.S., with the rest exported to mostly Asian and European markets.

Before taking office Trump threatened to slap a 35 percent tariff on BMW cars if it built a plant in Mexico.