• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?

2

A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'

3

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'

1

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?

2

A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'

3

The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
FinanceAutos

GM’s $1.1 billion tariff hit bolsters mounting evidence that Americans are the ones footing the bill for Trump’s import taxes

Sasha Rogelberg
By
Sasha Rogelberg
Sasha Rogelberg
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Sasha Rogelberg
By
Sasha Rogelberg
Sasha Rogelberg
Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 22, 2025, 3:20 PM ET
Mary Barra gestures and speaks in front of a black background.
GM CEO Mary Barra told shareholders in a letter that the company is working to mitigate the impact of tariffs.Kayla Bartkowski—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.
  • General Motors had a more than $1 billion chunk taken out of its profits due to tariff costs, the company reported on Tuesday. GM, as well as other automakers like Stellantis, have contributed to evidence indicating American companies and consumers—not exporters—are the ones paying for tariffs.

General Motors is the latest U.S. auto giant to say tariffs have taken a chunk from their earnings. The company beat earnings expectations on Tuesday, but reported a decline in second-quarter profits, including a $1.1 billion hit as a result of hefty import taxes.

Recommended Video

GM reported a 2% dip in sales to $47 billion, as well as $1.9 billion in quarterly profits, compared to $2.9 billion in the same period last year.

Anticipating the impact of President Donald Trump’s auto tariff policy—which outlined a 25% levy for many imported vehicles—GM withdrew its annual guidance last quarter, predicting an up to $5 billion pummelling from the levies. The company announced last month plans to invest $4 billion in domestic manufacturing plants in order to offset the cost of imports, as well as increase production capacity. Still, GM’s reliance on compact cars made in South Korea has made it vulnerable to the levies.

“In addition to our strong underlying operating performance, we are positioning the business for a profitable, long-term future as we adapt to new trade and tax policies, and a rapidly evolving tech landscape,” CEO Mary Barra wrote in a letter to shareholders on Tuesday.

GM’s rival Stellantis, which owns Jeep and Ram Trucks among other brands, announced on Monday $2.7 billion in net losses for the first half of the year as North American sales continued to slump. Those struggles were exacerbated by the “early effects of U.S. tariffs,” according to Stellantis, which had a more than $350 million negative impact on the company.

America is eating tariff costs

The auto companies’ tariff hit reinforced concerns—and emerging evidence—that Americans are the ones footing the bill for Trump’s sweeping tariff policy. 

Despite the U.S. Treasury collecting a record-setting $100 billion in customs duties so far this year, there has not been a meaningful reduction in the price of imported goods indicating exporters absorbing increased costs on their ends, according to a Deutsche Bank analyst note published on Monday. Instead, import prices have remained steady through June.

“The top-down macroevidence seems clear: Americans are mostly paying for the tariffs,” Deutsche Bank analyst George Saravelos said in the note.

Saravelos posited that because the Consumer Price Index has so far indicated only modest levels of inflation, “it follows that American importers are mostly absorbing the tariffs into their profit margins.”

The phenomenon is exemplified by Stellantis and GM eating billions in tariff costs.

Auto tariffs are no exception

Bernstein senior analyst Daniel Roeska said auto companies have started to exhaust their strategy of absorbing tariff costs into their own margins as car prices are poised to skyrocket later this year.

“There are only two people who can pay for [tariffs]: either the shareholders or the consumer,” Roeska told Fortune. “And in the end, there’s going to be some sharing between those two halves. And so our view has been and continues to be that prices for cars are going to push up in the second half.”

There’s already indications American consumers will be the next to take the tariff punch. Car companies are beginning to roll back discounts and incentives implemented months earlier to boost sales, as evidenced by Ford Motors switching away from its employee discount plan for prospective buyers in favor of a $0 down and 0% interest or financing plan. While GM’s plan to move some manufacturing to the U.S. will help the company save on tariff and transport costs, it will also incur steeper labor costs. The strategic move is a good one, according to Roeska, but it illustrates that companies will largely encounter trade offs when it comes to managing the inevitable impacts of tariffs.

“There’s not much you can do,” Roeska said. “If the policy is to put tariffs on cars, then that will increase the cost of cars, and ultimately, that will likely increase the price of cars.”

About the Author
Sasha Rogelberg
By Sasha RogelbergReporter
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Sasha Rogelberg is a reporter and former editorial fellow on the news desk at Fortune, covering retail and the intersection of business and popular culture.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Finance

Photo of Trump
North AmericaDonald Trump
Netanyahu and Zelenskyy meet Trump at the White House as Washington honors Lindsey Graham
By The Associated PressJuly 28, 2026
4 hours ago
Coinbase and Robinhood are locked in a heated battle ahead of Q2 earnings—but only one is being called the industry’s ‘first hyperscaler’
CryptoRobinhood
Coinbase and Robinhood are locked in a heated battle ahead of Q2 earnings—but only one is being called the industry’s ‘first hyperscaler’
By Jeff John RobertsJuly 28, 2026
4 hours ago
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on July 24, 2026 in New York.
Big TechWall Street
‘A lot of panic around the AI investment’: How a chip slump is driving the Nasdaq toward correction 
By Eva RoytburgJuly 28, 2026
5 hours ago
Stressed rich Gen Zer looks at laptop
SuccessCost of living
Despite making over $135K, 1 in 5 high earners feel ‘depressed’ when thinking about their finances—they may have ‘money dysmorphia’
By Emma BurleighJuly 28, 2026
9 hours ago
What is professional liability insurance and who needs it?
Personal FinanceInsurance
What is professional liability insurance and who needs it?
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 28, 2026
10 hours ago
Sad-looking young woman
EconomyGen Z
The brutal math behind Gen Z’s lonely weekends: $15 drinks are driving a generational ‘spending hangover’
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 28, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
C-Suite
Why did a $154 billion CEO just endorse stripping most Americans of voting rights—and taking us back to the 19th century?
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'
Success
A Nobel economist challenged Elon Musk to donate his entire $1T fortune by 2036. Musk's reply: 'I am actually going to do something along these lines'
By Sydney LakeJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
4 days ago
LeBron James took a pay cut to maybe live in New York and commute to Philly by chopper, risking double taxation as NYC also tries to ban helicopters
Real Estate
LeBron James took a pay cut to maybe live in New York and commute to Philly by chopper, risking double taxation as NYC also tries to ban helicopters
By Catherina GioinoJuly 27, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 28, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 28, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 28, 2026
13 hours ago
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
Retail
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
By Sarah GlodekJuly 27, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.