Jeep manufacturer Stellantis approached the incoming second Trump administration with a smile on its face and its arms and wallet wide open. The automaker, which also owns the Chrysler, Fiat, Opel, Ram Trucks, and Peugeot brands (among others) clearly wanted to get on Donald Trump‘s good side, donating a hefty $1 million to his inauguration fund.
If they thought they were buying some favors from the Trump administration, they’ve been very much short-changed. According to financials published this week, the company has so far paid out around $350 million for Trump’s tariffs. Said tariffs have also cratered sales, which have decreased by 25% this year as compared with last year. The reason? “Reduced manufacturing and shipments of imported vehicles, most impacted by tariffs.”
Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Chrysler, and Peugeot, warned on Monday that it’s expecting to lose about $2.6 billion this quarter due to Trump’s tariffs, according to As CNBC notes.#TrumpTariffFiasco#TrumpTariffs#TrumpIsBadForBusinesshttps://t.co/EP6yrhUkY2
— Sandra Repar BLM (@ReparSandra) July 22, 2025
As per ABC News, the total losses Stellantis expects to suffer under just the first six months of Trump add up to a colossal $2.7 billion. This underlines just how much Trump’s policies are impacting the auto industry, which relies on smooth import/export to move raw materials, components, and completed vehicles around the world.
There are also straightforward consequences for its workers. In the immediate wake of Trump confirming his tariffs, Stellantis promptly laid off 900 employees in its U.S. facilities in Michigan and Indiana.
Consumers to be hit hard
For consumers these tariffs are having grim consequences. The Center for Automotive Research has estimated that in total domestic automakers will take a $108 billion hit in 2025 alone due to tariffs. That means each vehicle sold will cost around $5000 more than before Trump, with imported vehicles seeing a price increase of around $8500.
Let’s be fair, this isn’t just random stupidity. The Trump administration’s overall plan is to strongarm car companies into relocating manufacturing within the United States, thus creating jobs and boosting the economy. In some respects, this is working. General Motors confirmed it’s investing $4 billion in moving production back from Mexico to Michigan, with the United Auto Workers union celebrating the move.
But you can’t turn the auto industry on a dime and move manufacturing to the United States overnight. What’s going to happen before then (if it happens at all) are crippling losses for car companies, mass lay-offs, and regular consumers being hit in the wallet for thousands of dollars.
Perhaps the Stellantis board would do well to confirm whether the Trump campaign ever cashed that $1 million inauguration cheque and, if not, quietly cancel it and pretend this embarrassing incident didn’t happen.
