Somehow, the buzzword of 2025 is an economic one, though my kingdom for it be some oddball TikTok slang I'd never heard before. No, we're stuck with the word "tariff."
For those who've been living under a rock, a tariff is a tax on the consumer put in place by a government when it imports a product into another country. This is designed to make it more desirable to purchase goods from within the country of import, but rarely works that way and, again, is a tax on the consumer. For example, if you have a set of gloves that cost $100 and are manufactured in a country with a 25% tariff on its imports, it'd cost the consumer $125.
And this isn't even getting into the idea of tariff wars, which sees countries tariffing other countries as the original country tries to tariff the other country. It's tit-for-tat gamesmanship played with the hard-earned money of the consumer.
Which is all to say that the Trump administration's tariff talk, both real and bluster, have caused real wakes within the powersports industry, as most machines we all use to recreate and go to work on, aren't built here in these United States of America. They're built in Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, and more. None, however, have really gone into effect, as the administration has kept flip-floping on whether or not they're basically crash the market just because they want tariffs.
One company that's weathering the storm is Honda, as it's recently told its dealers and partners that it'll eat any supposed tariffs. At least for now.
Now, unlike other powersport manufacturers, Honda does build its ATVs and UTVs here in the United States. But in the way that the tariffs are worded, at least in how they've been worded when the Trump administration has put them in place—only to retreat after markets blow up—they've not just applied to fully built machines, but also to imported parts. The supply chain for just about everything these days is global, so to have that adendum include parts is just silly if you ask me.
However, if and when the fourth or fifth tariff pause ends—I've lost count—those tariff costs could be passed down to the consumer. Honda, for its part, however, has said it can eat the tariffs for a while. In a letter to its dealers dug up by our friends at UTV Driver, "After analyzing the current tariff situation and how it affects our model lineup, we are happy to report Honda will absorb current cost impacts. Additionally, while there may be some minor model year price changes for future releases, we do not anticipate supply chain related surcharges in the near future."
That's wording devised to give Honda the leeway to both absorb tariff hikes, but also able to change direction if Japan or wherever it gets parts or shipments in from see massive 100% tariff tax increases. Whether it'll happen or not, however, is anyone's guess as the current administration seems to be choosing how to implement tariffs through a Magic 8 Ball.
But as of right now, Honda is saying it'll keep its prices as-is, which is comendable. It's also practical, as it likely wants to stay as the biggest powersports manufacturer in the world. It also doesn't have to rely on the United States for revenue, which probably helps, too.
