What if there were no tariffs on car imports into the United States?

[strawberryapple]

Chevy = $17,000

Tata motors $7,000 (India)

Chery Ice cream car $7,000 (China)

Thank God for unanswered prayers, because I would buy one!
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

I have titanium willpower! But unfortunately, it doesn’t work on temptation. 😹

[WindAtMyBack]

A big part of the reason why there are so many foreign auto plants in the US is because of protectionist policies. Tariffs and other forms of protection work. When companies decide where to build plants, they look at everything. Tariffs factor into it. So do other forms of protection and incentives.

So now we have something like 150,000 employees in the US working for those foreign auto companies. When I was young, I'm not aware of any at all. It was when the US started cracking down on uneven trading practices that those companies moved to the US.

I grew up in a city with a heavy auto industry. There are now at least six auto related Japanese companies near me. When I started teaching English to Japanese students a few years back, most of them were here on E2 visas. That visa is specifically for foreign companies that invest in the US. If anyone remembers Trump offering citizenship to foreigners for a million dollar investment, it served the same purpose as the E2 visa.

If you want investment in the US (or in your city) you have to incentivize people and companies to invest.

[strawberryapple]

If people are going to buy foreign cars in America, I hope they at least are built in America.

[WindAtMyBack]

I don't know what percentage of foreign cars are made in the US. I think it's a pretty high percentage though.

It's not just about where they are assembled. It's about how many of the parts are made in the US. I don't know the rules, but I know the rules look at the total percentage of parts made in the US.

All the Japanese companies in my area either make parts, or they make machines used in the manufacturing process.

[Likes2drive]

Imported cars would be a lot cheaper if there was no tariffs on them, and most of them are made better than American cars

[strawberryapple]

Top end eBikes can go as much as $10, 000. Now throw in rain and snow and I’ll be buying the ice cream car. 🍧🍦

[Likes2drive]

Yeah, weather does make it a problem when driving a motorbike, but I would usually prefer a gas driven motorcycle which cost even more, especially the ones that I would like

[strawberryapple]

Ducati?

[exitseven]

American cars are now better than the cars made overseas. I know people thta drive Toyotas and Hyundais and they have problems with them. And BMWs and Mercedes charge 200 bucks for new spark plugs.

[Hagar88]

The US auto industry would be devastated and never recover, once its gone the Chinese government with their own tariffs on foreign cars would not have to subsidise the Chinese car industry to under cut foreign competitors and could charge what they want.

Unemployed people can't buy cars.

As of 2024–2025, over 1 million people are directly employed in motor vehicle and parts manufacturing, with total automotive-related retail, wholesale, and repair jobs exceeding 4 million. Employment in motor vehicle parts manufacturing grew by over 30,000 in early 2024. The auto industry represents 5% of the U. S. economy, with each direct manufacturing job supporting over 10 additional jobs. The shift to electric vehicles (EVs) has prompted, or announced plans for, over $75 billion in investments and created thousands of new jobs in battery production.

[888theGreat]

So 1% of the population would take paycuts , while it would benefit 99% of the population with less expensive cars.

[Hagar88]

@888theGreat 99% of the population would then have to pay 1% of the population welfare and what about all the other manufacturers jobs thats account for about 10-20% of jobs and related jobs espicially ag a time when we are losing jobs. Why do you think for the last few decades Europe chinaand Japan has had high tariffs on US car imports? Because they aren't stupid

[strawberryapple]

@hagar
You’ll have to forgive 888. He voted for Trump and then regretted it. So now he’s abandoned all sense of logic, reason and conservativism. The world is a bad place but we need more Chinese workers in America.

[Hagar88]

With AI replacing thousands of jobs every day as we speak, we dont need legions of immigrants legal or otherwise taking jobs and lowering wages.

[strawberryapple]

@hagar
This is what I don’t understand about Mamdani. He wants a sanctuary city flooded with the illegals and he also wants $30 an hour minimum wage.

[888theGreat]

I am the most conservative person on here

[Hagar88]

I get him completely. he's like all liberals, champagne socialists. Put in all these social programmes paid for by raising taxes on ordinary people. Does every boys toliets in high-school really need a tampon machine?

[lightbulb27]

price rules. people buy junky disposable cars, like older kia's. it would crush our industries and theyd be taken over by the govt again since they are such big employers. you have a big imbalance in economies, standards of living, environmental policies. that has to be dealt with and have to protect your workers.

free trade... lol.

[strawberryapple]

Yeah, I don't think free trade would work.

[888theGreat]

Yes Free Trade works , The US consumers get to keep more of their money and a new car. The other side can buy American cars for lower prices. You have an American only fixation. You think Americans poop doesn't smell and everyone else in the world have no rights and are slaves for America.

[strawberryapple]

@888
You are so full of shit! Move to another country. Somalia is nice this time of year.

[888theGreat]

I tell it like it is , you live in a fantasy world of make believe

[lightbulb27]

@888theGreat I've driven the chinese electric car. it was nice. it's way cheaper than anything we have. most americans would buy one just like they'd buy a kia, and the chinese car be way cheaper. it's protectionism. when us govt forces wages higher by inflation and minimum wage and we have unions and such, there's no way to compete outside robots. thats why we lost so much industry as it is. globalism works til it breaks.
if you want a cheap chinese car you can go to Europe, they have them. the problem is incompatible systems of governance. if everyone was equal, not so much a problem.

[Dargil]

The American automotive industry would be out of business and the American economy would suffer severely. What would happen if imports from the United States and from the far East were eliminated on vehicles that are imported into the European union?

[strawberryapple]

Do you know that America hasn’t built a television in 30 years? Cars could be next to go.

[888theGreat]

Do you know why? Because Americans want $100 an hour, 6 weeks paid vacation. Call off work twice a week, bathroom breaks, coffee breaks , Paid Leave , work at home, health insurance , retirement plan , all adding to the cost of making the product. Foreignors work for less and are grateful for a job , making costs lower for production. Americans feel entitled and owed a job. Americans would not buy American made products for the higher price. They bought Sony and Sanyo TV's not American made. They would again.

[strawberryapple]

And we solve that problem. Trump is bringing those manufacturers to America. Let the Koreans make their TVs in America for no tariff.

[888theGreat]

And Straw Berry Apple will buy the cheaper foreign product.
1) They are not coming back to build in America , they are giving the illusion they are
2) even if they did , you and most Americans won't be hired by them
3) Anything made in America with the higher cost of living will always be higher than a import made with foreign labor. Just a fact. Always has been and always will be.

[strawberryapple]

Cheaper? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I drive a cheap Chevrolet. I couldn’t afford the American made Toyota Camry.
And you say that the Toyota factories in America won’t hire Americans? You forgot that Joe Biden has been put out the pasture. So you can’t count on illegal aliens working at the Toyota factories in America. You must be the most unpatriotic person in the world. You not only want America flooded with foreign cars, you want America flooded with foreign workers.

[888theGreat]

The money for Toyota goes back to Japan , not America

[exitseven]

The whole odea behind tariffs is to encourage people to buy American made stuff This helps the economy and provides good paying jobs to Americans. When you but a foreign made car, that money just gets sent overseas and does not help the American economy.

[strawberryapple]

And yet Chinese Chery cars would sell like hotcakes. Trump is just expressing tough love. I get it!
The same people who are demanding a living wage, are probably the same people who spend their money at the dollar store.

[exitseven]

@strawberryapple The people that make cars can afford to buy a house. Then they buy a washing machine and a lawn mower. They spend money in their hometown at the supermarket and local sub shop. The store owners can afford to hire more people and the cycle starts all over again.

[strawberryapple]

You’re preaching to the choir.

[888theGreat]

Which will be higher prices and put stress on the ability to afford medicine , Groceries , and utilities. They only have x amount of dollars

[888theGreat]

Then Affordability gets better and be have less debt and a better life with higher standard of living. That would help them pay for groceries or utilities.

[strawberryapple]

And these people looking for groceries move to China and work there to get them?