Summary
Trump warned automakers not to raise prices after announcing a 25% tariff on imported vehicles starting April 3, claiming the tariffs would be “great” and benefit U.S. manufacturing.
Industry leaders, including GM, Ford, and Stellantis CEOs, expressed concerns about inevitable price increases, with experts warning tariffs could add thousands to car costs.
Auto suppliers stated that absorbing tariffs is impossible, and dealers fear affordability challenges for consumers.
While the United Auto Workers union support the move as a job creator, trade groups predict higher prices and fewer manufacturing jobs.
Prices increase in response to increase in costs- this is so basic it’s covered in introductory econ courses and applies to all businesses. Adding costs to production has to be reflected in the final price. Tariffs pretty much never help consumers- they prop up inefficient industries that can’t compete with global trade. In general, global trade with low tariffs is better because of specialization
The problem here isn’t the increased price of goods, it’s the fact that Trump knows increasing the price of non-US built cars via tarrif gives US car companies an advantage that could be used to sell more cars for less money, but will really just give US car companies the opportunity to raise prices any amount they choose, as long as it’s slightly less than the tarrif, thereby making more money and enjoying the advantage of not paying the tariffs. People will still buy cars, and they might buy American cars because they’re now a little cheaper than non-US… But if they do this, the tariffs will pretty much only result in higher priced cars across the board instead of affordable IS cars vs expensive foreign ones.
Basically someone explained to Trump one of the many ways the tariffs will be backfiring, and he’s ineffectually asking companies not to do that.
I mean we (anyone who has observed reality or knows history) already knew that. The poster above probably thought “tariffs = foreigner disadvantage”. There’s not really such a thing as a US-only car company so there is no advantage whatsoever to be gained- it’s inevitable that these US car companies have global supply chains to take advantage of specialization, not to mention labor and parts only made overseas. Even if you could bring everything inhouse, everything would more expensive. There is no “more cars for less money” because not only do we not have all the parts manufactured in the US (meaning we’re forced to import), but labor is more expensive. It’s all a waste of time and resources
I think a lot less people will be buying cars. And a lot of other stuff.
For sure it’s a two part thing, but regardless of the increased cost of US cars due to other tariffs, the price will still include the opportunistic gaming US car companies will play based on the car tarrif trump is stupidly rotting with.
Conceivably the only benefit the auto tarrif will do is allow US companies try to remain competitive against foreign companies who won’t have to deal with the materials tariffs he’s stupidly straddling US companies with.
Well, it doesn’t HAVE to be,.depending on the margins, the increase, how responsive consumers are to price increases in that good, and whether or not it’s strategically beneficial to eat the slimmer margin for some reason.
Practically a public 25% tariff is fantastic cover for a 30% price increase these days.