Oklahoma car dealers react to President Trump’s auto tariffs

Oklahoma car dealers reacted on Monday to the auto tariffs set to take effect. 

On Thursday, the U.S. will begin collecting a 25% tariff on all imported vehicles and auto parts, according to the Trump Administration. 

"With our management team, they're just as apprehensive as the customers are because they've had questions from the customers, like ‘what's it going to do to the pricing?’ And our answer right now is we don't know,” said John Holt, President of John Holt Auto Group. 

Holt said he has about 300 cars on his lot at this time. 

"We've got about a 45-day supply of vehicles that have not been tariffed." 

However, he said he is not so sure about the vehicles that will come later. 

"Some of the cars-- they're made in Mexico. Some are made in Canada. Some are made in Korea. So, we don't know really how the price is going to affect general motor cars,” Holt explained. “And I'm sure Ford and Dodge are having the same questions." 

In the long-term, “I think it's going to be great for the United States,” he shared. 

The short-term, on the other hand, is a different story, the president of John Holt Auto Group said. 

“I think it's also going to affect my service department with parts because we get parts shipped from everywhere to fix automobiles, but we're not sure how much that's going to affect the price of the parts and the price of repair.” 

Now is an especially good time to buy, he added. 

"I think it's a great time to buy because most dealers have a 60-day supply of cars right now -- there's no tariffs on those -- but the ones we're ordering today, I'm sure will come with that tariff. We're four to six weeks out from getting those," Holt shared. 

Another local auto dealer that declined to speak on camera said they are also uncertain about how prices will change in the future, but that customers will likely feel the effects of it.