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How Did This Get Here: Your Car

In this aerial photo from a drone, brand new Subaru cars sit in an Auto Warehouse Co. storage lot in Richmond, California.
Justin Sullivan
/
Getty Images
In this aerial photo from a drone, brand new Subaru cars sit in an Auto Warehouse Co. storage lot in Richmond, California.

The auto industry is already reeling from President Donald Trump's new tariffs. They've only been in effect for about six days, but the response was immediate.

On the same day those tariffs went live, Stellantis temporarily paused production at plants in Canada and Mexico. The company also temporarily laid off 900 U.S. workers. And Volkswagen said it's planning to add an import fee to its sticker price.

According to financial analytics firm S&P Global, about half of car sales could be affected by these tariffs. Trump says auto tariffs will bring manufacturing and jobs back to the U.S.

But how will these new trade rules actually affect American production?

We continue our "How Did This Get Here?" series. We follow goods as they make their way to us from overseas and explore what the president's new tariffs may mean for your pocketbook.

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