If there is one thing that the automotive industry hates, it is uncertainty. When it takes more than five or six years to put a new car model on the market, a certain administration launching caution and the world’s good will with a series of unpredictable prices is bad news.
Currently, the American tariff situation is constantly changing, limited exceptions being granted to certain manufacturers whose managers are ready to fold the knee. Although there is a certain potential relief, world car manufacturers have not yet received a 25% price on vehicles assembled outside the United States.
This is an unprecedented situation, both in terms of gravity of the action and the speed with which it was promulgated. This has already had immediate impacts, such as Audi holding vehicles abroad in Port, and Jaguar Land Rover suspending all shipments in the United States.
It remains to be seen which manufacturers will be the most affected, but one thing is clear: car buyers who were seated on the fence of a new purchase are now rushing to their local dealers.
People like Andrew Neuberger, a resident of the Atlanta region who works in the automotive software space, had a first generation BMW x2 m35i which he was reasonably satisfied with. “I did not intend to get rid of the car for at least a year or two,” he said. “But as soon as I heard about the tariff situation, I started to consider accelerating things just due to uncertainty.”
“I did not intend to get rid of the car for at least a year or two.”
Neuberger had hoped to wait for one of the new generation electric vehicles of BMW built on the next Neue Klasse platform, which should not strike the market before the end of 2025 or the start of 2026. Instead, he opted for the SQ6 E-Tron of Audi. He said he was able to negotiate a reasonable rental price on the performance SUV and had locked it as soon as possible.
According to COX Automotive data, which provides a regular analysis of the global automotive scene, sales of new vehicles “jumped” in March, “pulled by solid seasonal trends and the emergency created by the announcement of the import rate”.
The rate of sales of new vehicles in March increased by 17.2% compared to that at the end of February, the average inventory of new cars going from 91 days from early March to 70 days at the end of it. In other words: dealership terrains are starting to be picked up.
EV sales increased by 11.4% in the first quarter of 2025 from one year to the next in the first quarter of 2024, and it is despite Tesla sales and lowering the trend and lowering 13%. Used car sales are also booming, up 12.2% over the same period last year.
One of these purchases was made by John Osborn, who was looking for his unicorn: a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. “I wanted a V8 in a non-gray color, which is a rare combination,” he said. He had planned to wait until the summer to find one. “The prices gave the impression that the prices were going to increase, so I decided to move quickly and bought a car with my second choice color rather than waiting for the perfect specification indefinite to appear.” He won a 2021 model last weekend.
In California, Steve Martegani had thought of adding a Mazda MX-5 Miata to her personal fleet but did not try to press the trigger until the end of the year. It changed when he started reading on the prices. It was advisable to quickly move through its Mazda dealer in Elk Grove. “This weekend, they experienced a significant increase in meetings and were waiting for a big weekend of sale,” he said. He filed a deposit on a car seated in Port instead of ordering one in Japan.
“The prices gave the impression that prices were going to increase, so I decided to move quickly.”
The Martegani dealer was not the only one to see the rush. Alan Valenti, director general of Valenti Auto Group in Connecticut, which sells a series of European brands, notably Audi, Jaguar, Porsche and Volkswagen, said that its sales teams saw an increase in the interest and motivation of buyers.
“Lately, especially after Cavid, when there is uncertainty on the market, people think that there could be a decrease in supply. They may tend to want to act as soon as possible,” he said.
It even strikes more niche brands. Valenti said that the Jaguar dealer of his group had a good inventory, but that he “begins to have it withdraw”.
This is an evolving situation, but what was until recently a buyer market moves quickly to the dealership court, according to Tom Mcparland, owner and operator at Automatch Consulting, which helps people find and negotiate car purchases.
McParland said that he had experienced a significant increase in demand, from days after the initial announcement of the tariff action. “This weekend, we had a huge race of people who want to get ahead and conclude offers,” he said.
He said that some dealers do the right thing and simply move inventories quickly at fair prices, but others take more aggressive measures, increasing prices even on cars that have been imported well before the price announcement.
Ford and Stelllantis delight the trend by offering all employees’ prices. But where there were discounts to have on many models not long ago, things are different today, according to McParland. “Transactions quickly expire,” he said.
“Transactions quickly expire.”
He also fears that other incentives, such as money backing or special financing rates, can disappear even for American manufacturing cars while manufacturers are trying to keep it balanced and compensate for the increased cost of other models – a concern that we have also heard from other experts.
This is not a great situation if you are on the market, but McParland has some advice. First of all, if you find an acceptable affair, press the trigger. “Do not materialize a good agreement pending better,” he said.
And secondly, follow Osborn’s advance on its Jeep purchase, and don’t hold the line while waiting for your perfect specification. “The more flexible you are, the better your chances,” he said. “The more you are the more Pick -Any, you will probably pay more.”
And what about unlucky souls who have placed an order abroad for their perfectly configured dream car, which has not yet been accomplished? You would better call your dealer if you have not already done so and make sure that the price you have negotiated is locked up because you could be surprised.
