Trump Administration’s Tariffs Are Affecting Ultra-Luxury Car Orders

If our readers in the United States are wondering why there are fewer McLaren MCL38s and/or Koneigsegg Agera Rs on the road: firstly, how did you even notice given that only 18 and 25 respectively were made? And secondly, fewer high-end supercars and luxury SUVs are being registered in the US in light of the Trump administration’s controversial auto tariffs.

According to a recent report by Automotive News, and based on data from S&P Global Mobility, registrations of new vehicles in the US rose for only two exotic car marques makers – McLaren and Lamborghini – over the first five months of 2025. The British brand saw an 8.3 percent rise during that period, while the Raging Bull recorded almost double that at 15 percent. Registrations for most of their immediate rivals dropped, however, with market analysts suggesting this trend is at least partly down to inconsistencies related to the auto tariffs.

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US Customer Orders Are Down

Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced a sharp rise in taxes, from 2.5 percent to 25 percent, on all non-US-made vehicles and auto parts being imported. While the likes of Aston Martin, Bentley and McLaren in the UK were given a reprieve on June 30 as tariffs were dropped from 25 percent back to 10 percent (though this still equated to a 7.5 percent overall, the European Union has since been threatened with a further 30 percent hike if a new trade deal isn’t negotiated. Unsurprisingly, this move has seen orders of luxury European vehicles into the US drop significantly.

Aston Martin, for example, registered 17 percent fewer vehicles in the US since the start of the year, while Maserati registrations fell a massive 41 percent. Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, meanwhile, have dropped 2.5 percent and 0.8 percent respectively, and while that may not sound too bad, bear in mind the lowest starting price for a Rolls-Royce in the US is the $350,000-plus Ghost. That’s still a sizable amount of money the British marque is losing out on.

Strangely, despite the overall drop, Ferrari was one of only two exotic marques – the other being McLaren – who registered more US vehicles during the month of May. This is in contrast to Lamborghini, which saw May alone registration fall by 39 percent.

Why This Is Bad News For US Dealerships

While many may think this situation can only benefit North American-based carmakers as more and more customers “buy American,” fallout from the tariffs has also negatively affected third-party dealerships in the US as well. Indeed, Automotive News reports that sales through ultra-luxury dealership group RDS Automotive have already dropped 70 percent.

Most exotic carmakers are based in Europe, and given their comparatively limited production numbers and the revenue required to open new facilities in the US, few of them will be starting production domestically any time soon. As a result, dealerships dedicated to luxury models – i.e. far from necessary purchases – have seen myriad orders canceled.

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This could be down to customers bailing in the face of significanlty increased prices, or limited inventory, as European manufacturers delay US imports while waiting for a clearer picture to emerge. Even orders for customers unmoved by a $50K hike on their $400K supercar have been delayed, voluntarily or otherwise. Long story short, don’t expect a newly-registered Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut to drive past you in the US anytime soon.

Source: Automotive News