How Tariffs On China Could Change Fixing Cars Forever

Tariffs on specific goods like cars are usually fairly straightforward. Blanket tariffs? They’re a whole other kettle of fish. The full impact might not be realized until far later down the line, but if one thing’s for certain, they’re likely to make fixing your own car a whole lot more expensive in general, even if you don’t take it to a shop.

In addition, Foxconn wants to send Taiwanese EVs to America as soon as this year, Canada fights back against U.S. tariffs, and in a brief glimmer of good news, it seems that American roads are getting safer. I’m taking over for Matt on this edition of The Morning Dump, so let’s dig into all the important little stories of the morning, sectioned into conveniently bite-sized pieces.

Wrenching’s About To Get More Expensive

At 12:01 a.m., the White House’s blanket tariffs went into effect, including a recently-upped 104 percent tariff on goods imported from China. Obviously, North America buys a lot of stuff from China, so just think about the sheer variety of car parts made there. In addition to loads of aftermarket performance parts like wheels and bolt-on catback exhaust systems, plenty of replacement parts are shipped in from China. Major suppliers like ZF and Bosch have manufacturing bases there, so we’re not just talking about the cheapest of parts either. Oh, and then there’s the obscure stuff. Lots of smaller applications are supplied by Chinese businesses because it may be uneconomical for Western factories to make them. Earlier this week, NBC News interviewed Judy Zhang, owner of a firm making brake hoses, and found unsurprisingly that duties on her company’s products are being paid by American customers, chiefly because good alternatives are few and far between.

“Very few manufacturers can do what we do,” she said in an interview Monday at an auto parts show in Beijing that drew 1,200 Chinese suppliers. “Or make as many types.”

Beyond that, if you do your own wrenching, think about tools. Over the past few decades, the availability of inexpensive tools made in China, from sockets to power tools to specialty tools to diagnostic scanners, has made more complex repairs accessible to DIY-ers. Need something you don’t have to get a job done? Run on down to Harbor Freight or hop online, and you’re able to get most tools you need fairly cheaply. With a 104 percent import tariff applying to these tools, building up that cabinet is about to get more expensive, potentially to the point where farming out the job would be less expensive.

If you’re on a budget, which most of us are, this huge blanket tariff on goods from China is going to make fixing your car more expensive, whether at home or at a shop. Prices of parts and tools are going to increase, and consumers will be footing the bill. If these tariffs remain in place long-term, DIY-ers might have to pivot to American-made tools and will end up spending more of their cash to keep their vehicles running.

Canada Fires Back

Speaking of tariffs, they’ve outraged key trading partners, and Canada’s retaliated with a 25 percent tariff on the non-Canadian and non-Mexican content of U.S.-built vehicles that went into effect just after midnight. What exactly does this mean? Well, Automotive News Canada broke it down. As the outlet reports:

To calculate the tariff, Finance Canada assumes each imported vehicle from the United States contains 15 per cent Canadian and Mexican content, leaving 85 per cent of the value of each vehicle exposed to the levy.

“This represents the estimated average of Canadian and Mexican content in vehicles made in the U.S.,” a finance department spokesperson said in an email.

Assuming an average U.S. parts content of 85 percent, that would put the effective tariff rate at 21.25 percent, or $6,375 on a $30,000 car. That’s not great news for U.S.-built models popular in Canada like the Ford F-150, the Honda Civic hatchback, and the Nissan Rogue, not to mention American-built luxury models like the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. With Canada being America’s largest new vehicle export market, expect the resulting increased prices to drive down sales of U.S.-made vehicles north of the border.

The Company That Makes Your iPhone Still Wants To Send EVs To America This Year

We’ve seen it with Xiaomi in China and Foxconn in Taiwan, and the latter manufacturer is looking at North American shores. After a proposed tie-up with Fisker that didn’t work out due to Fisker’s insolvency, Foxconn is seeking other partners, but also doesn’t seem afraid of starting alone, announcing plans to send two EVs to America.

The first is called the Model C, also known as the Luxgen n7, a two-row crossover offered with either a 58 kWh battery pack or an 83 kWh battery pack and either single or dual motors. With the big pack and the dual motors, Foxconn claims a zero-to-62 mph time of just 3.8 seconds, and the overall package seems directly targeted at established models like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Volkswagen ID.4. At a presentation in Tokyo, Automotive News reported that Foxconn showed off a rendering of a U.S.-spec version, and that American sales are expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year.

That’s an aggressive timeline considering Foxconn has no U.S. sales network, but don’t expect a full rollout at that time. As Automotive News reports, “Foxconn plans to export the Model C to the U.S. for customers there to trial in the fourth quarter of 2025, [Foxconn executive Jun] Seki said.” Beyond that, the company is planning a larger crossover called the Model D for America in 2027. It’s a little minivan-y, a three-row model expected to feature air suspension, and it looks pretty neat. Specs on it are currently vague, but we should learn more over the coming years.

A Little Bit Safer

Here’s a little bit of good news to lighten the doom and gloom: American roads are still getting safer. NHTSA reports that overall road fatalities in 2024 were down by 3.8 percent over 2023, falling to an early estimate of 39,345. That’s the lowest number since 2020, and means 3,885 fewer lives were claimed than in the most dangerous recent year, 2021. What’s more, with travel distance being up, fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles travelled have fallen to the lowest figure since 2019 and are almost on par with what we saw in 2016.

Although there’s still a way to go before we fall below pre-2020 road fatality levels, 11 consecutive quarters of year-over-year declines in deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled is a good trend, and one that’s expected to continue.

What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD

It’s been a big week or so for Skrillex fans, with a surprise project dropping on April 1 that’s, no joke, a love letter to the artist’s body of work. With sounds ranging from brostep to tear-out, this 46-minute album flows seamlessly from track to track and feels like a fitting final project released under Atlantic Records. As someone who was really into Skrillex a decade ago, hearing Voltage get an official release almost makes me feel like the food critic in “Ratatouille” being transported back to his youth. It’s good stuff.

The Big Question

What’s the last tool you picked up just to complete a repair? Mine’s a half-inch-drive manual impact driver, and you can probably guess where it’s made by the first story in this article.

Top graphic images: stock.adobe.com