As someone who has audited cars they hedge everything in a model year, cost of metals, rubbers, Platinum, even cost of filling up gas tanks.

Car companies at parent level lock in MSRP for a year. And really big companies like GM lock in inventory and make a lot of parts themselves. They are also have ability to add shifts, or even add entire 2nd and 3rd shifts. I only did my audit at GM but it is locked. They have futures contracts and everything.

I did the audit of the Chevy Impala they weigh around 4,000 pounds and they sold around 300,000 a year. That 1,200,000,000 pounds of material. Before first car is built on next model year they come up with MSRP and they have hedged or locked in prices on all 1,2000,000,000 pounds of material needed.

Using Chevy as an example as I did an audit there. They most like have locked in 2026 MSRP already. At recent DC auto show they had 2026 models coming out concept cars with suggested MSRP.

Since talking GM where are Cadillacs made. Five American plants and one location in China. So Cadillacs can be sold in China and the US mostly tarriff free.

Lansing Grand River Assembly, Michigan, U.S.
Arlington Assembly, Texas, U.S.
Fairfax Assembly, Kansas, U.S.
Spring Hill Manufacturing, Tennessee, U.S.
Shanghai GM, China

Those who say the tariffs won't affect existing inventory are dead wrong. Right now, everyone who is thinking of buying a car in 2025 is now considering buying from existing inventory (as well as used cars) right now. Increased demand means increased prices, just like when the supply chain broke during the pandemic. The only difference is that this crisis is deliberately imposed by idiots.

Buy nothing. Only essentials.

Anonymous wrote:Lots of good deals to be had. Tariffs are not going to affect existing inventory. Get out there soon and you will be fine.

Oh yes because car dealers are notorious for overlooking chances to hike prices and gouge a few dollars. Good point they are such nice guys who don’t read the news!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’ve been saving for a new car, and now all the headlines say tariffs will raise new car prices. Just another great piece of news.

This is not new news.

+1 we'd been planning to buy DS a car when he graduated in May (already has a job lined up will require driving to get to it). We moved that up and bought the car in December.

Get a slightly used one that got repossessed.

Tariff does not impact 2025 Models. They are all build or parts and stuff already ordered.

Even if there are deals to be had, I think we just moved ourselves into the "no buy" column for the foreseeable future. Those savings are now going into the rainy day account in case we suffer job loss, which, living in the DMV, seems to be the objective of many of the current policies, not an unintended consequence. Everything is too up in the air to blow any cash. We were hoping to buy a Tesla, but I think we'll take a hard pass on that in light of everything.

Car parts will increase in price. Imported cars from the three countries China, Canada and Mexico, will increase in price. Buy now, a car already in the US.

Teslas will remain good values. That’s the point after all.

Anonymous wrote:We’ve been saving for a new car, and now all the headlines say tariffs will raise new car prices. Just another great piece of news.

This is not new news.

He said the pain would be worth it.

Buy now.

Lots of good deals to be had. Tariffs are not going to affect existing inventory. Get out there soon and you will be fine.

We’ve been saving for a new car, and now all the headlines say tariffs will raise new car prices. Just another great piece of news.