SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Toyota Tacomas are the biggest selling mid-size trucks in the United States, and most are manufactured at a plant east of Tijuana.
The company has a similar facility in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico where Tacomas are also assembled.
The tariffs President Donald Trump implemented Wednesday on cars on other products made in Mexico and other countries are expected to drive up the cost of the vehicles anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 and as high as $15,000, according to Goldman Sachs and other financial analysts.
At the Toyota Chula Vista dealership just a few miles north from the border, management declined to talk on the record about the tariffs and the expected impacts on consumers and their staff.
One salesperson, who wanted to remain anonymous, said prices on Tacoma trucks and other cars made with foreign parts, won’t go up immediately on models already on their lot.
He said pricing will increase as new deliveries are made.
“I expect prices to go up probably in a few weeks,” he said. “It will also be more expensive for people to service and repair their cars since many parts come from Mexico and China.”
The salesperson also tells Border Report they expect the cost of used cars to go up as consumers seek alternatives to buying “more expensive cars.”
Trump recently told NBC News he “couldn’t care less” if the the price of some cars goes up as long as consumers turn to American-made cars.
Some analysts expect Americans to pay more, not only for vehicles, but for groceries and produce as well.
“I think you’re starting to see a little more panic and concern about the tariff,” said Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and a transportation industries specialist.
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