Lifestyle
Trump’s latest auto tariffs explained: What car buyers should know this year
DETROIT (AP) — President Donald Trump’s 25% tax on imported cars, light trucks and auto parts is likely to drive up prices at a time when many Americans already struggle to afford a new set of wheels. The tariffs will also force car companies to rethink what cars they make and where they make them.
Trump has been itching to tax foreign autos for years. In his first term, he declared auto imports a threat to national security, which gave him the authority to impose tariffs on them. On Wednesday, he went ahead and imposed the levies. They take effect midnight April 3.
New vehicles are seen at an auto-processing facility at the Atlantic Terminal of the Port of Baltimore, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
It’s the latest in a number of auto industry maneuvers by Trump during his first weeks back in the White House. Auto companies are also navigating the reversal of fuel economy standards, dialed down greenhouse gas emission standards and a host of electric vehicle policy rollbacks.
Some of the details of Trump’s auto tariffs have yet to be worked out.
For example, it’s unclear whether the new auto tariffs would stack on top of 25% import taxes set to be levied next week on all goods from Canada and Mexico. That would mean cars from Canada and Mexico could potentially face new tariffs of 50%.
And for now, the Trump administration is exempting from the tariffs cars, light trucks and auto parts that qualify for duty-free treatment under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a regional trade pact the president negotiated five years ago. Trump intends to narrow that exemption to content made in the United States, not Canada or Mexico. But that will require setting up processes to determine what qualifies as U.S.-made — something that could take weeks or months.
The White House also said the import tax would apply to “key’’ auto parts, including engines, transmissions, powertrain parts and electrical components. And it could expand the tariffs to other auto parts “if necessary.’’
Here’s what else to know:
Why are tariffs so challenging for the auto industry?
An aerial view shows auto dealerships in Cerritos, Calif., Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
As automakers expanded globally, they created complicated and efficient supply chains that spanned countries. In North America, for instance, Mexico supplies low-wage labor and makes smaller, less expensive cars and trucks while Canada and the United States provide more skilled labor and technological know-how.
Trump’s tariffs are intended to bring auto manufacturing back to the United States. But it won’t be easy.
Rerouting the sourcing of thousands of parts that are imported to the U.S. and uprooting assembly operations would take years.
“It adds to the uncertainty facing all automakers as the industry’s supply chain is inherently global and has optimized around moving components across national borders where free trade agreements have existed in the past,” said John Paul MacDuffie, professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sam Fiorani, analyst at AutoForecast Solutions, notes that while European makers of luxury vehicles and their buyers can afford some price adjustments, “it’s the companies like Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru who import large percentages of their fleets that will take a beating.”
“Throwing tariffs on the parts of vehicles built in Mexico and Canada that aren’t sourced from the United States will hurt the profits of General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford over the next few quarters, costing them billions,” he added.
Two people shop at a Toyota dealership in El Monte, Calif., Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Trump’s tariffs — which he insists are permanent — will force companies to make hard choices.
“It’s going to have the effect of forcing companies to increase U.S. content’’ if they want to dodge the import taxes, said Richard Mojica, a trade attorney with Miller & Chevalier.
And even though Vanessa Miller, chair of the automotive team at the law firm Foley & Lardner, acknowledges that some companies will be able to pivot operations to the U.S., others are too tied to factories in Mexico or elsewhere to make the move anytime soon.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Pool via AP)
Automakers might have to stop making some vehicles because they won’t be profitable with the tariffs in place. The tariffs hit “everyone in a manner that makes them rethink everything,’’ said Ivan Drury of the automotive website Edmunds. “This is around at least three or four years. We’re not looking at something you can just ride out.’’
What does this mean for car buyers and new car prices?
Beata Caranci and Andrew Foran of TD Economics estimate that the tariffs could raise the average price of cars and light trucks in the United States — which totaled more than $47,000 last month — by up to $5,000 if automakers pass along the entire cost to consumers. That price hike could go higher – to as much as $10,000 – if the Trump administration applies the tax full to cars made in Mexico and Canada.
Automakers and their suppliers are only now recovering from years of instability brought on by pandemic-forced production halts, a sweeping semiconductor shortage and low inventory on dealership lots. That meant prices were sky-high, incentives were low and few deals were to be had.
During the peak of the pandemic, consumers still bought vehicles at high prices. But the piled-on tariffs could put new vehicles out of reach for many would-be buyers, especially given rising indications of potentially broader inflation ahead throughout the economy.
“Starting almost immediately, consumers will see their already expensive new vehicles cost hundreds to thousands more and those prices will escalate even more when the supplies of many key vehicles dwindle,” Fiorani said. “Imagine the price rises during the semiconductor shortage and stretch it out across every brand and manufacturer. The trickle-down effect will put smaller suppliers out of business and send many workers onto unemployment.”
What about used cars?
By raising new vehicle prices, tariffs will likely send buyers to the used market. But with limited used inventory, an influx of buyers could rock used car prices, too. And they already average $25,000.
Lease penetration, or the number of vehicle transactions that are leases, has averaged around 30% or so over the past 10 years, according to Edmunds data.
New automobiles are loaded at the Port Newark Container Terminal in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
But the industry saw low rates of leasing — nearly half the norm — particularly between May 2022 and January 2023. Fewer leased vehicles typically means fewer two- or three-year-old vehicles being put on the used-car market.
So there is likely to be a shortage of used cars just as more buyers start shopping for them.
How has the industry responded?
Governor Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents U.S. automakers, said that manufacturers supported Trump’s efforts to boost domestic auto manufacturing. But he cautioned that “it is critical that tariffs are implemented in a way that avoids raising prices for consumers and that preserves the competitiveness of the integrated North American automotive sector.
The United Auto Workers labor union applauded the tariffs. “Ending the race to the bottom in the auto industry starts with fixing our broken trade deals, and the Trump administration has made history with today’s actions,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement. “These tariffs are a major step in the right direction for autoworkers and blue-collar communities across the country, and it is now on the automakers, from the Big Three to Volkswagen and beyond, to bring back good union jobs to the U.S.”
But Jennifer Safavian, president and CEO of Autos Drive America, which represents international auto manufacturers, denounced the tariffs: “The tariffs imposed today will make it more expensive to produce and sell cars in the United States, ultimately leading to higher prices, fewer options for consumers, and fewer manufacturing jobs in the U.S.”
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Wiseman reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Josh Boak contributed to this story.
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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at [email protected].
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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
NEW YORK (AP) — The second season of the Star Wars series “Andor” and the streaming release of the Wu Tang Clan’s latest album are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Willie Nelson releases his 77th solo studio album, “Oh What A Beautiful World,” and the arrival of Nicole Kidman’s “Babygirl” on Max.
New movies to stream from April 21-27
– Halina Reijn’s “Babygirl” (streaming April 25 on Max) stars Nicole Kidman as a CEO who has an affair with a much younger male intern ( Harris Dickinson ). The A24 film, which earned Kidman a Golden Globe nomination, resurrects the steamy, campy atmosphere of erotic thrillers like “Basic Instinct” and “9 ½ Weeks” but tells it from a more female perspective. In my review, I wrote that the “ever-shifting gender and power dynamics make ‘Babygirl’ seldom predictable — even if the film is never quite as daring as it seems to thinks it is.”
– Gareth Evans, the Welsh filmmaker of “The Raid” franchise, returns with more brutal, choreographed mayhem in “Havoc” (Netflix, April 25), an action thriller starring Tom Hardy as a detective battling a criminal underworld. Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker and Luis Guzmán co-star.
New music to stream from April 21-27
— Wu-Tang Clan is forever, but their touring days are numbered. In June, the legendary hip-hop group will embark on a final tour titled the “Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber.” Whether you’re planning on attending or not, there is no bad time to throw on one of their records. On Friday, April 25, Wu-Tang’s joint album with Mathematics, “Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman,” released earlier this month as a Record Store Day exclusive, will hit streaming platforms. Why not start there?
— Calling Willie Nelson prolific is about as revelatory as saying the sky is blue; it is self-evident. On Friday, he’ll release his 77th solo studio album, “Oh What A Beautiful World,” celebrating the work of songwriter Rodney Crowell. Nelson embodies many Crowell classics – like 1976’s “Banks Of The Old Bandera,” recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker and 1981’s “Shame On The Moon” for Bob Seger. Crowell and Nelson join forces on the song’s title cut. The album also arrives just five months after his 76th solo studio album, “Last Leaf on the Tree,” his first produced entirely by his son Micah. “He’s a real artist,” Nelson described his son to The Associated Press at the time. “He picked all the songs.”
— Twangy punk band Rodeo Boys are experts in sugary, spirited hooks – from 2019’s debut “Cherry” to their 2023 Don Giovanni Records debut “Home Movies.” But the Lansing, Michigan, group’s 2025 album “Junior,” out Friday, that takes them to great new heights — a collection of sardonic, queer Americana, melodic songs for and by the heartland. The best description of the band is the one they wrote themselves: “Rodeo Boys is what happens when the Miller High Life gets legs and starts walking around on its own.” Yeehaw.
New television to stream from April 21-27
— The “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” prequel series “Andor” returns for its second and final season Tuesday on Disney+. Diego Luna stars as Rebel spy Cassian Andor and follows his radicalization against the Galactic Empire leading up to “Rogue One” and “Star Wars.” The first season of “Andor” was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding drama series and received praise from critics. It also stars Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgard, Fiona Shaw and Genevieve O’Reilly.
— Penn Badgley is closing out his chapter as the stalking serial killer Joe Goldberg –who is also disturbingly likeable but that’s for a therapy session– in Netflix’s “You.” Its fifth and final season debuts Thursday. While Season 4 took place in London with Joe working as a literature professor, he’s now returned to his hometown of New York. Joe is married to Kate Lockwood (played by Charlotte Ritchie) whom he met in season four — and they’re a New York power couple. Joe is happy with Kate and intends to stop killing people, but the guy is prone to building tangled webs of obsession that leave dead bodies in his wake. The new episodes also feature Madeline Brewer of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Anna Camp.
— In Season 1 of Hulu’s “Vanderpump Villa,” Lisa Vanderpump oversaw a young staff at French chateau that both lived and worked together for the summer. For Season 2, she’s relocated to a castle in Italy and brought roughly half of the “Villa” staff with her. She’s also invited “Vanderpump” all-star, Stassi Schroeder to be a special VIP and to serve as her eyes and ears with the staff. Schroeder starred on “Vanderpump Rules” for eight seasons before she was fired for slurs and racial profiling in 2020. Schroeder has since written two best-selling books, launched a new podcast, got married and become a mother of two. She also has her own show for Hulu in the works. “Vanderpump Villa” premieres Thursday.
— When Brett Goldstein isn’t writing and acting in hit shows like “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking,” he’s a busy stand-up comedian. Goldstein recently taped his first comedy special called “Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life” for Max. It premieres Saturday.
— Bravo has tapped some of its most famous single ladies from “The Real Housewives” to star in a new dating show called “Love Hotel.” Cameras follow Shannon Storms Beador (“The Real Housewives of Orange County”), Luann de Lesseps (“The Real Housewives of New York City”), and Gizelle Bryant and Ashley Darby (“The Real Housewives of Potomac”) as they stay at a hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico and meet eligible bachelors who are just visitors to the property, unless they get an official invite from one of the ladies to check in. Bravo superfan Joel Kim Booster hosts as their “Love Concierge.” “Love Hotel,” premiering Sunday on Bravo, streams next day on Peacock.
New video games to play week of April 21-27
— Every year, the mystical Paintress paints a new number, and every person of that age dies. This year’s number is 33, so its up to the crew of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to try to stop her. It’s the debut title from French developer Sandfall Interactive, and it aspires to the storytelling, exploration and turn-based team combat of classic role-playing games like Final Fantasy and Persona. The graphics evoke the lush glamor of Belle Epoque Paris, while the voice cast features heavyweights like Charlie Cox (“Daredevil”) and Andy Serkis (“The Lord of the Rings”). It’s rare for a young studio to launch such an ambitious RPG series — and we’ll see if it pays off Thursday, April 24, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
— Lou Kesten
Lifestyle
A Pentecostal church in South Africa holds mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A Pentecostal church in South Africa celebrated Easter Sunday with mass wedding ceremonies for around 3,000 people, with many of them entering into polygamous marriages.
The International Pentecost Holiness Church said mass weddings are part of its Easter festivities and the tradition of polygamy, which is observed in some African cultures, has been incorporated into the church.
Sunday’s ceremonies would see some men marry their sixth or seventh wives, church spokesperson Vusi Ndala said. Other grooms were set to marry multiple brides at one time, Ndala said.
“Polygamy is not only embraced but held in high regard” in the church, Ndala said.
A man with his wife and two of his brides walk, during mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous, at the International Pentecost Holiness Church in Heidelberg, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Couples dance as they enter the church building during mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous, at the International Pentecost Holiness Church, in Heidelberg, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
People queue during mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous, at the International Pentecost Holiness Church in Heidelberg, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
The International Pentecost Holiness Church was founded in South Africa in the early 1960s. It is an African-initiated church, meaning it was founded by Africans rather than foreign missionaries, and blends Pentecostal beliefs with local traditions.
The church has held mass weddings before, including in 2023 when around 400 couples or bridal parties tied the knot. It says this year’s event was its largest by far.
Ndala said the large number of people being married this year was because of “a large number of men marrying more than one wife at a go.”
In some cases, grooms brought their current wife or wives to be with them for their new marriage.
The weddings were held at the church’s headquarters, a huge, dome-shaped building in the town of Heidelberg, near Johannesburg, that can seat 60,000 people.
The congregants who were being married waited in long white tents set up in open fields next to the church building, where they were given bridal flowers, food packs and water. They then filed into the church building in long queues, the women wearing white bridal gowns and many of the men in matching white suits and red ties.
Polygamy is legal in South Africa if the union is registered as a customary marriage.
A man with his wife and two of his brides sits inside a marquee ahead of the mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous, at the International Pentecost Holiness Church in Heidelberg, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A groom in a wheelchair is assisted by a fellow member whilst his two brides walk in front, during mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous, at The International Pentecost Holiness Church in Heidelberg, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
LONDON (AP) — Some of the fastest canines on four very short legs have raced for glory in Scotland’s annual Corgi Derby.
The Musselburgh Racecourse Corgi Derby was first held in 2022 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne. The late monarch was a devoted corgi fan who owned almost 30 of the breed over the decades, along with a few dorgis – a corgi-dachshund cross.
Four-year-old Juno beat a 16-strong field of dashing dogs dressed in bright sweaters over the 230-foot (70-meter) race on Saturday at the racecourse outside Edinburgh. She came from behind in the final stretch to beat last year’s winner, Rodney.
The winner and her owners, Alisdair Tew and Fran Brandon, were presented with a trophy and dog treats by tennis coach Judy Murray, mother of Scottish star Andy Murray.
Tew told the BBC that “we trained her for this last year but this year we just resorted to just letting her chasing things, particularly seagulls” on Edinburgh’s Portobello Beach.
“Juno is always ready for treats -– that is probably why she won,” he said.
Elizabeth’s love of corgis began in 1933 when her father, King George VI, brought home a Pembroke Welsh corgi they named Dookie
Corgis were often by Elizabeth’s side in the decades before her death in September 2022 — accompanying her on official tours, reportedly sleeping in their own room at Buckingham Palace and occasionally nipping the ankles of visitors or royal family members.
Three corgis even appeared alongside the queen as she climbed into James Bond’s waiting helicopter in the spoof video that opened the 2012 London Olympics.
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