The Trump tariff auto sales rush is on

If there’s one thing the auto industry hates, it’s uncertainty. When it takes upward of five or six years to bring a new car model to market, a certain administration throwing caution and global goodwill to the wind with a raft of unpredictable tariffs is decidedly bad news.  Right now, the US tariff situation is […]

Apr 18, 2025 - 13:02
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The Trump tariff auto sales rush is on
photo of Stellantis car dealership.
Car buyers have been rushing to US showrooms to lock in deals before potential price hikes. | Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images

If there’s one thing the auto industry hates, it’s uncertainty. When it takes upward of five or six years to bring a new car model to market, a certain administration throwing caution and global goodwill to the wind with a raft of unpredictable tariffs is decidedly bad news. 

Right now, the US tariff situation is constantly shifting, with limited exceptions being granted for certain manufacturers whose leaders are willing to bend the knee. While there is talk of some potential relief, global auto manufacturers have yet to be given a reprieve from a 25 percent tariff on vehicles assembled outside of the United States

This is an unprecedented situation, both in terms of the severity of the action and the swiftness with which it was enacted. It’s already had immediate impacts, like Audi holding foreign-made vehicles at port, and Jaguar Land Rover suspending all shipments to the US. 

It remains to be seen which manufacturers will be most affected, but one thing is clear: car shoppers who’d been sitting on the fence about a new purchase are now rushing to their local dealers.  

People like Andrew Neuberger, an Atlanta-area resident who works in the automotive software space, had …

Read the full story at The Verge.