- On Wednesday, President Trump announced a 25 percent tax, on vehicles made outside of the U.S., set to begin in early April.
- Here in our neighborhoods, the impacts could be felt from dealerships to repair shops.
- Video shows the perspective from a local dealership, as well as from a repair shop in Haslett.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your East Lansing Neighborhood Reporter, Colin Jankowski, here at a local car dealership because cars like this one could soon see an uptick in prices because of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. I spoke with auto experts here in our neighborhoods about what it could mean for you.
"Every car dealer is a little in the unknown," Shaheen Chevrolet General Manager Jason Cords said. "We do know there are going to be tariffs, but I think everyone is kind of pivoting right now."
He tells me his dealership has stayed busy, and customers have been coming in to look at vehicles currently in stock before those prices potentially increase.
"The cars that are already here, the price is what the price is," Cords said.
But, Cords tells me there's still uncertainty about what these latest tariffs will mean for dealers and car shoppers alike.
Wednesday, President Trump announced the 25 percent tax on vehicles made outside of the U.S., set to begin in Early April. Some vehicles from Mexico and Canada have an exemption for now, which the administration plans to end.
"Ultimately, we've got a lot of cars that are being built that we're concerned with," Cords said. "And it's the unknown with those. Is the price going to go up? Are we going to get rebates? But no matter what, it's going to be passed on to somebody."
It's not just new cars that will have tariffs.
According to the Trump Administration, they will also be applied to some car parts like transmissions and powertrain components. That means repairs for cars you already own could go up in price.
"People are feeling it," A&D Repair owner Roy Niemi said.
Niemi tells me his supplier brought him a list of the parts that could see an increase in price because of tariffs.
"It was maybe five that won't receive a price hike," Niemi said.
And for those parts that do go up in price, Niemi says it's your wallet that will feel the impact.
"A job that was pre-tariff that was maybe $600 per axle, we're seeing 700 (or more) an axle," Niemi said. "To the everyday person right now, that's a lot of money. That's a lot of money right now. And we are definitely seeing people feel that."
Niemi tells me those higher costs have given him and other local shops concern when it comes to keeping customers coming in, and they've tried to prioritize keeping customers who have started to look around for cheaper repair prices.
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