NewsTrump's tariff threats have rattled Europe's auto giants — but Ferrari appears...

Trump’s tariff threats have rattled Europe’s auto giants — but Ferrari appears remarkably unfazed

Workers on the production line at the new Ferrari NV E-building factory in Maranello, Italy, on Friday, June 21, 2024. 

Francesca Volpi | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Ferrari is thought to be something of a special case among Europe’s automobile sector even as many car giants come under pressure from the threat of U.S. tariffs.

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday vowed to impose steep tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico in one of his first acts in office, threatening to shake up the auto industry’s supply chains and raising investor concerns about higher costs.

Trump’s proposed measures include an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese products coming into the U.S. and a 25% tariff on all goods coming from Canada and Mexico.

Auto shares fell on the news given that it could have significant consequences for U.S. and European manufacturers, many of which have built factories and rely on auto parts suppliers based in Mexico.

The fact that Europe was not mentioned in Trump’s first tariff announcement will be regarded as welcome news for European Union policymakers, although the 27-nation bloc is likely worried that it’s just a matter of time before Trump turns his attention to the region’s auto sector.

Ferrari, however, is expected to be shielded from most of the fallout.

“For Ferrari, it is the one exception where whatever the tariff is, they are not going to start producing in the U.S. Everything happens in Maranello, Italy,” Rella Suskin, equity analyst at Morningstar, told CNBC via video call.

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“The thing with Ferrari is, if it is a 10%, 20% or 30% [tariff] then they can probably easily pass that on in price to consumers, just given the customer they are targeting and how expensive the cars are already.”

In an effort to raise U.S. revenues, Trump previously pledged to impose a blanket 10% or 20% tariff on all goods coming into the country, prompting concern among a wide range of key trade-dependent sectors such as autos.

For Morningstar’s Suskin, even a U.S. tariff as high as 30% on all goods coming in from Europe may not deter would-be customers from buying a Ferrari. “It’s ridiculous but that’s kind of the way it is,” she added.

A spokesperson for Ferrari was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC.

‘Less price sensitive than most’

Tom Narayan, global autos analyst at RBC Capital Markets, echoed this view, saying Ferrari does appear to be in a position to pass on any increase in prices should Trump deliver on his pledge to introduce higher tariffs.

Most analysts and investors recognize the Italian carmaker as unique among its European peers in this respect, according to Thomas Besson, head of automobile sector research at Kepler Cheuvreux.

“Time will tell but it is probably right,” Besson told CNBC via email.

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