The Ford display is seen at the New York International Auto Show on April 16, 2025.
Danielle Devries | CNBC
Detroit – automaker automakers such as Ford engineHyundai Motor and Kia reported on Thursday increases in American sales from one year to April in April while consumers rushed to buy new vehicles before potential price increases due to prices.
The fear purchase rate started at the end of March and continued in April, supported by several car manufacturers offering special discounts or promising not increasing short -term prices due to President Donald Trump’s car rates.
“The April results are dominated by the prospect of future increase in vehicle prices due to prices,” said Thomas King, president of the Data and Analytics division at JD Power.
But good times may not last. The chief economist of King and Cox Automotive Jonathan Smoke notes that the demand has slowed down at the end of April while new stocks of vehicles are tightening and that prices increased after the rush to the purchase of the consumer.
“The economy and the automotive market go to a world with higher prices on imports,” said Smoke on Tuesday. “The first phase of the frenzy on the retail vehicle market seems to have already succeeded in April with less momentum than it started.”
Smoke has said that higher costs and higher vehicle inventories are probably “undermining the momentum and could lead to a drop in sales in the coming weeks”.
The car manufacturers appreciated the rush to the consumer while it lasted, however.
Ford declared a 16% increase on the other of its sales in April, supported by consumers and a continuous “employee price” program that the company launched as car rates of 25% of Trump on imported vehicles in force in early April. Ford said on Wednesday that it extended this program until July 4 weekend.
Hyundai, who promised not to increase prices until the least June, said a 19% increase in sales last month of his homonymous brand compared to April 2024.
Kia, which belongs to the parent company of Hyundai but which operates separately in the United States, said that its sales last month had increased by around 14% compared to a year earlier.
General Motors Reports American auto sales on a quarterly basis, but the automaker confirmed Thursday that it had seen a 20% increase last month compared to April 2024.
Toyota Motor Thursday, its sales from year to year increased by 10% last month.
The 25% prices of vehicles imported from Trump in the United States took effect on April 3. Although he has changed certain rates this week, additional 25% samples from automotive parts should start on Saturday.
This week’s changes included the reimbursement of car manufacturers for certain American parts and the reduction in “stacking” of the prices on each other for industry.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said on Wednesday that this week’s changes in prices were useful, but that more actions were to be taken to help car manufacturers and develop the American automotive industry.