Supreme Court decision and how it will affect the auto industry

Published February 20, 2026 9:32 PM EST

Even with the Supreme Court’s ruling limiting emergency tariff powers, the auto industry is still operating under significant trade costs.

Big picture view:

Duties on many imported vehicles and auto parts are also still active, directly affecting production costs for manufacturers. Industry analysts say those tariffs can add hundreds to more than a thousand dollars to the cost of building a single vehicle, but prices may not soar as much as you think.

"The cost of cars has gone up due to the tariffs. They’ve been in effect for a considerable amount of time. Their imports are covered by a trade agreement with Mexico and Canada," said Dr. Marick Masters.

While many vehicles assembled in North America qualify under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, imported components and raw materials are still subject to tariffs, meaning price pressure on automakers and consumers is likely to continue.

The Source: FOX 2 talked with Dr. Marick Masters and used information from previous reporting.

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