By Stephen Wilmot

Another slew of automakers pulled or put a "before tariffs" stamp on their guidance, highlighting the challenge they face in managing their business through President Trump's fast-changing trade policy.

Stellantis suspended its public targets for the year, while Volkswagen maintained its expectations with the caveat that they exclude the impact of new tariffs. Mercedes-Benz also held its pre-tariff guidance, but said its results this year would be "lower than before" across the board if the current tariff regime remains in place.

Mercedes said the operating-profit margin in its flagship passenger-cars division would be roughly three percentage points lower for the year if today's tariffs remain in place-a hit of roughly $3.5 billion. That estimate includes the benefit of shipping additional vehicles to the U.S. last quarter.

The White House's auto tariffs affect deliveries of Mercedes-Benz luxury sedans and the popular GLC sports-utility vehicle from Europe, as well as shipments of the smaller GLB model from Mexico. On top of that, the company's more expensive U.S.-built SUVs that also supply the Chinese market are now subject to retaliatory tariffs introduced by Beijing.

Volkswagen gave no formal indication of how much tariffs could cost it. However, it said it could "clearly comprehend" analysts' estimates of a hit to annual operating profit of between 2 billion euros and 4 billion euros, equivalent to $2.3 billion to $4.6 billion. The company imports all Audis and Porsches sold in the U.S., mostly from Europe, and most Volkswagen-branded vehicles from Mexico.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 30, 2025 06:57 ET (10:57 GMT)

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