TULSA, Okla. — New tariffs on foreign-made cars and auto parts are set to begin on April 3.
In an exclusive phone interview with NBC News, the president defended the use of tariffs because he believes it will push consumers to "start buying American-made cars."
National Politics
'Couldn't care less': Trump not concerned if car prices rise due to tariffs
Fred Harlan, owner of Harlan Ford in Okmulgee, told 2 News it’s too early to speculate how the tariffs could impact prices.
“It is a question on everyone’s mind and everybody comes in asking about,” he said. “Do we know? No, we do not.”
Harlan said most Ford models are made in the U.S.A. — with few exceptions. On his lot, the Maverick truck, the Bronco Sport, and the electric Mustang are built in Mexico. These models could take a hit in price.
And while Ford has manufacturing plans in the United States, many electronics and other parts inside the vehicles are still made out of the country.
“It’s what happened with the chips back when COVID hit—those pieces stalled the automotive industry for quite some time,” said Harlan. “There’s a little bit of everything in a car – 10 to 11 thousand pieces on each car. We don’t know where all the parts come from, but we are about to find out.”
“This is kind of like a kitchen remodel or bath remodel,” said Senator James Lankford on State of the Union. “There’s a bit of a mess in the beginning, but everybody has a long-term look at where we are headed; it’s going to be noisy for a while.”
Trying to reassure the public, Lankford urges naysayers to think about the bigger picture.
“We want more manufacturing in the United States and we want to encourage those folks around the world that are selling American cars to build them here—it helps American jobs and will help bring prices down,” he said.
Due to tariffs, Cox Automotive predicts 10-30% fewer cars will be produced across North America.
The 25% tariff across all cars that the United States imports is set to take effect on April 3. A tariff on car parts is expected shortly after that.
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