Come into force today i duties of the United States against Canada and Mexico decision that could trigger a domino effect on the entire automotive sector, with direct consequences also on cars and components sold in Italy. Already now to buy a new car An Italian should spend very high figures, but second Federcarrozzierithe association of Italian trucks, which has developed some estimates on the potential impacts of the new rates on the goods provided by the American government, the situation could worsen over time.
How much does it cost to buy a new car today
In 2024, the average cost of a car in Italy exceeded 30 thousand eurosby recording a record increase of 43% compared to 2019. This exponential increase, which has also been influenced by the effects of Covid and geopolitical challenges, now risks being further aggravated by the protectionist policies of the United States, which could trigger a new impress of prices.
The president of Federcarrozzieri says Davide Galli:
In 2024 the average price of a car stood at 30,096 euros in Italy, with a huge growth of +43% compared to the pre-covid period, 21 thousand euros in 2019 (…). The duties risk determining a new surge in cars lists on a global level, which in 2025 could climb on average from 2,500 to 3 thousand euros compared to current prices as a consequence of the protectionist commercial policies of the USA which would affect not only on Mexico, Canada or China, but on the entire world automotive chain.
The impact of duties on the automotive sector
In the Federcarrozzieri press release we read that:
Car manufacturers around the world will undergo a hard impact in terms of non -profitable profits and economic losses. This is because there are many brands that produce cars in Canada and Mexico: Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Stellantis, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Toyota and Nissan.
The association calculated the economic impact of the duties by assuming an increase in cars price lists of 10%. The prices of the best -selling basic models in Italy would undergo heavy variations, according to the new ranking of new cars prices.
The Mexico, where every year they are produced 3.5 million carsis the main country of origin for the cars sold by the Volkswagen group in the United States (representing 44%of total sales in 2024), and the second for those intended for the USA by Stellantis (40%between Canada and Mexico), Nissan (31%), Mazda (23%) and Honda (13%). For this reason, analysts, also taking into account the annual sales of each brand in the United States, provide an average reduction in profits for car manufacturers between -5% and -15%.
The components sector is also affected
To be affected would also be the entire supply chain of the components, always according to what is revealed by Federcarrozzieri. The duties, in fact, will also apply to components such as airbags and seat belts (autolyv products), tires (Michelin and Pirelli), seats (Yanfeng), brakes (Brembo) and components for electric motors (Eurogroup Laminations).
The direct consequence for citizens would be a rise in market prices of the entire car sector, from new vehicles to spare parts.
Not only that, repairs, together with ordinary maintenance, also continue to represent a substantial part of the expenditure for cars management. In 2024, always by Federcarrozzieri:
The average costs for maintenance interventions increased by 3.3%, reaching 463 euros per year, while spare parts and lubricants mark an increase of 2.5%, with an average expenditure of 280 euros.
