A van is raised for an exhibition at an Automobile Dealership in Alhambra, California, March 27, 2025. After President Trump announced significant prices on vehicles and imported parts, automotive manufacturer’s actions fell sharply. But sales from dealers have increased, at least in the short term, because buyers are trying to get ahead of the pricing peaks planned in the coming months.
Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images
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Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images
The threat of prices sparked a gold rush on American automotive prizes. Motor manufacturers offer major discounts and some buyers run to shop before the price increase. But it is a boom motivated by anxiety which also contains warning signs for the economy – and for budgetary buyers in particular.
Kyra Nay, a children’s librarian in Ohio, planned to buy a larger car for her growing family – but not before next year. Then, the price announcements out of the White House made him rush to move faster.
“With the prices and a large part of the uncertainty about this, we just decided that we could not wait,” she said. She and her husband ran to buy a Honda CR-V at the end of March, and they were not the only ones to run the pre-tail prices. “The dealer was packed,” Said no.
The COX Automotive automotive data group had expected A sleepy walk; Instead, the peak of sales after Trump’s announcement on March 26 of specific prices in Trump led the hottest new car sales in four years.
COX Automotive economists now predict that the rush could last a few months. But ultimately, price increases focused on prices would cause sales slowdown. You can see signs of this potential slowdown in choices made by pilots like Jennifer Jarvis, Michigan pharmacist. She also thought of buying a new family SUV. But she and her husband changed her mind. Instead of rushing to a concessionaire, they replaced the transmission in their old van, hoping to extract an additional 100,000 miles.
“The idea of trying to buy a car on this market and the prices and everything,” she said. “I mean, we are going to drive this probably until he needs another transmission or falls from the road.”
Other buyers have told NPR that they delay the plans to buy a vehicle because they are concerned about what their jobs were in danger, or that they are trying to save money in the event of recession.
Some buyers rush, others retreat. Meanwhile, the prices themselves continue to change. Yesterday, President Trump put A 90 -day break On many of its newly announced prices, but those most important for the automotive industry remain. Which includes 25% Price on imported cars This launched last week, plans to impose prices car partsand 25% prices on the Steel and aluminum who go to vehicles.
Add everything and it’s just a strange moment for the automotive market. But strange times are not new in the automotive industry, explains Scott KUNES, the COO of the Auto and RV KUNES AUTO and WISCONSIN.
“We have a bit of the impression that we are back at this time from the beginning of 2020 when Cavid was starting to strike and no one knew what was going on,” he said.
For the moment, the request is in place and there are good deals to do on new cars. Manufacturers offer significant incentives and highly discussed pricing price increases, for the most part, have not yet materialized.
Last month, car sales were the strongest in four years, because buyers tried to “beat the prices”. The concessionaires relied on this moment of their advertising, like Fisher Honda Acura in Boulder, Colorado, did so in this advertising published online last week.
Fisher Honda Acura via Facebook
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Fisher Honda Acura via Facebook
“All the vehicles that are currently on the ground or in the port are not affected by the prices,” said KUNES, stressing that dealers like to keep around two to three months of vehicles on their lots – an integrated stamp.
However, in the long term, if the prices remain, analysts say that car prices would likely increase thousands of dollars. The exact amount would vary depending on the manufacturer and the model.
KUNES is optimistic about his own business; He says that dealers and car manufacturers are resilient and can adapt to everything that is happening. But some buyers, especially those who have a budget, will have more harm, he says.
“I think that something that no one really thinks or that is talking about is the second-hand cars market,” he said. Kunes sells new and used cars, and notes that prices on new cars will increase the demand for used cars, while parts on parts will increase the cost to repair them. Thus, the prices, indirectly, will increase the prices of used cars.
In fact, they have already done so. According to The latest Iseecars reportThe prices of used cars have been stable in the past six months, but have started to increase in March. Popular used cars prices could increase from $ 890 to $ 5,169 If the post-flower market resembles the early cocovio market, predicts the used car rating site.
It is above the already accumulated prices which always show the effects of the disturbances of the supply chain of the era of the cocovated era which struck the offer of new cars several years ago. Today, Kuns says it is difficult to find a “good and reliable” used vehicle which is still under warranty for less than $ 25,000. And the least expensive cars that cost about $ 5,000 are now more than $ 8,000 to 10,000, he said.
Connecticut Car Shopper Angelica Deleon faces this market intimidating used vehicles now. When she was unemployed during the cocoked pandemic, her car was resumed. Since then, she has been on Ubers and her family and her friends to move.
“It was really difficult,” she said, stressing that public transport is uneven where it lives.
She has saved money for two years to buy a vehicle, and a few months ago, she obtained a full -time administration job. Now it is ready to buy a reliable car in the range of $ 10,000 – if it can find one.
“Recently, I look at the prices and I notice they fired,” she said. She searched for a second-hand sub-row and found options on her budget with “like 135,000 miles, 165,000 miles,” she said. It is too much wear and tear for her to trust.
What, she asks, are you supposed to do “when you do the minimum and you need a car?”
This question was already urgent for people across the country. And the price chaos only gets worse.
