Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s passage of tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports this week, Ford and General Motors (GM) are evaluating how to handle expected cost increases—with the two companies thus far having responded a little bit differently.
The Trump administration on Monday officially imposed a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S., after recently delaying tariffs threatened against Mexico and Canada for a month. In response, Ford CEO Jim Farley has said that Trump’s decision has so far only brought increased “cost and chaos” to the auto sector, while GM CEO Mary Barra says the automaker may be able to mitigate up to 50 percent of the impact of the tariffs, according to a report from Automotive News.
“President Trump has talked a lot about making our U.S. auto industry stronger, bringing more production here, more innovation to the U.S., and if this administration can achieve that, it would be, I think, one of the most signature accomplishments,” Farley said during an event on Tuesday. “So far, what we’re seeing is a lot of cost and a lot of chaos.”
Ford is looking to build up inventory where it can in order to prepare for even more widespread tariffs of 25 percent, expected to be lodged against all products from Mexico and Canada, per Trump’s original plans that have now been delayed. Despite the newly imposed metal tariffs, Ford has noted that most of its steel and aluminum materials currently come from within the U.S., though it’s also expecting to take on some of the increased costs facing other suppliers.
READ MORE ON TRUMP TARIFFS: Trump’s tariffs – Here’s what they mean for Tesla and the auto industry
In other recent statements, Ford has also expressed some level of optimism for the Trump administration’s plans for the auto industry. Executive Chairman Bill Ford recently said that Trump “clearly understands the importance of [the auto] industry,” adding that he is aware that the U.S. President “wants to be helpful” and saying that he feels “very confident” that Ford will have a say in future discussions within the administration’s auto efforts.
Others, including Canadian supplier Linamar, have been quick to criticize the tariff plans publicly, while GM has taken a slightly more cautious approach to the news. Barra has said that GM could mitigate as much as 30 to 50 percent of the cost impact of such tariffs, without requiring additional capital.
“We are prepared when we know exactly what’s going to happen,” Barra responded, as detailed in a separate story from Automotive News. “Of course, if tariffs are longer, there’s additional things that we’ve studied that we know we can do from a capital-efficient way.”
It’s not yet clear whether or not Trump will institute the more widespread tariffs on Mexico and Canada, after he delayed the plans by requiring each country’s military to assist with border control as a condition for delaying the plans for a month. The Trump administration also instituted a 10 percent tariff on imports from China, after many other countries have also established new tariffs on the country in the past several months.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
Tesla asking Canada for lower tariffs on Giga Shanghai-made vehicles: report
Need accessories for your Tesla? Check out the Teslarati Marketplace:
Cybertruck
Tesla clears the air on Cybertruck ‘deactivation’ video that is obviously fake
Tesla has cleared the air on the viral video, stating it is fake.

Tesla has cleared the air regarding a video that has been circulating, where the owner claims his Cybertruck was “deactivated” by the company while he was driving.
The video was shared on X and showed a driver pulled over on the side of the road, claiming his Cybertruck had been deactivated by Tesla in the middle of traffic. It is very obviously fake to those who know the company, but these kinds of things have a tendency to pick up steam.
This video is going viral of a Cybertruck “de-activated” in the middle of the road. What’s wild is a lot of people are believing it. People’s hate for Tesla and Elon Musk seems to shadow their critical thinking skills.
It’s likely a YouTube video or something just playing on… pic.twitter.com/HJr00Umjbu
— Jeremy Judkins (@jeremyjudkins_) August 11, 2025
The video shows a screen that says:
“Tesla Cybertruck De-Activated. Critical Issue Detected | Contact Customer Service, Comply with Cease & Desist to Re-Activate. Update Failed, Return to Dealer.”
The same person who posted the video also shared an image of what appears to be a Cease and Desist letter from Tesla, but it is also likely fake:
He also claims Tesla sent him a cease and desist letter because he made a song titled Cybertruck or something like that.
That’s why the error message in the video mentions a cease and desist. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/1zdtGApEfj
— Jeremy Judkins (@jeremyjudkins_) August 11, 2025
The company finally responded to the video on Monday afternoon, stating that the video is, in fact, fake, reiterating that it will not disable vehicles remotely for any reason.
This is fake – that’s not our screen.
Tesla does NOT disable vehicles remotely. https://t.co/QFOLG74AJI
— Tesla (@Tesla) August 11, 2025
It is a shame that these types of things happen, especially as people are prone to believe anything they see on the internet. As there is so much misinformation circulating surrounding Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk, it is no surprise that someone would leverage the situation for their own benefit.
If that Cease and Desist letter is not real, perhaps the next one might be. These types of things can truly cause damage to a company’s reputation, and someone getting an idea that Tesla would remotely deactivate a car could prevent them from buying one.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is stepping up for Tesla Service in a big way
Elon Musk has stepped up to resolve a handful of customer issues regarding vehicle service.

Elon Musk is stepping up to help customers in a big way, especially when they are having issues with Tesla’s Service.
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages Tesla owners have is access to Musk through X, his social media platform. Over the years, we’ve seen Tesla add features, refine its cars’ performance, and more, all through asking Musk directly through a post.
Now, Musk is stepping up in another way by resolving a few Service complaints that customers had.
The first occurred last week when a recall on a Tesla battery was not honored by Service. The company sought $30,000 for a replacement and labor, which was not right. Musk responded that he would personally investigate the matter. The vehicle was fixed at no cost as it was a recall, and was ready for pickup the next day.
A Tesla story in four parts. 👏
Pretty nuts that the user in that second post is the CEO of a trillion-dollar company. pic.twitter.com/5VhXLka5s8
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 8, 2025
It also revealed a new strategy Tesla is using to combat service communication issues:
Tesla creates clever solution to simplify and improve its Service
The next occurred with a Cybertruck owner who was in Japan. Their car was parked at an airport in the U.S. and had lost a vast majority of its state of charge, leaving them just fifty miles of range at the time.
Musk reached out to the owner and said Service will take care of the car and will investigate the cause of the battery drain:
This is strange. Tesla service will take care of your car and we will find out why this happened and fix it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 8, 2025
There are not too many companies out there where the CEO will get involved with individual issues like these. It’s pretty exclusive to Tesla, as Musk has commonly stepped up to resolve complaints with vehicles or to confront features that some owners might find useful.
Service has been a weak point of the company for some time, but it has worked to refine and resolve customer complaints by building more Service Centers across the world that can handle these issues.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms Robotaxi is opening to the public: here’s when
Anyone will be able to request a Tesla Robotaxi in September, Elon Musk said this morning.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the company’s Robotaxi platform is opening to the public, and he even gave a timeline for when anyone will be able to access one for a ride.
Tesla’s Robotaxi platform launched to a small group on June 22 in Austin, Texas. The company has continued to expand the number of riders and its geofence over the past month and a half.
Additionally, it launched rides in the Bay Area of California, but it differs slightly, as the Texas Robotaxi platform does not utilize a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat. In California, the monitor sits in the driver’s seat.
As the geofence, service areas, and testing populations expand, Tesla fans are awaiting their elusive emails that enable their ability to use the Robotaxi platform. It now seems that the email will come soon, as Musk said Tesla will open up public access to Robotaxi next month:
It will be open access next month
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2025
Tesla has been prioritizing safety over anything else with the launch of the Robotaxi platform, which is why it has been slow to push invitations to new riders. It is confident in the abilities of the platform and its Full Self-Driving suite, which has been proven with data.
However, even a single accident could set Tesla back years in terms of its development of self-driving cars. It is not a risk it is willing to take.
Musk said during the recent Q2 Earnings Call:
“We need to make sure it works when the vehicles are fully under our control. It’s kind of one step at a time here. We don’t want to jump the gun. As I said, we’re being paranoid about safety. But I guess next year is I’d say confidently next year. I’m not sure when next year, but confidently next year, people would be able to add or subtract their car to the Tesla, Inc. fleet.”
As the platform will expand in Austin and the Bay Area for anyone, Tesla still continues to reiterate that Robotaxi will be available for everyone sometime next year, as Musk said in the quote above.
Things will continue to improve over time, and Tesla will likely expand its geofence in both regions in the coming weeks. It has already done that in Austin twice, with about a doubling in size occurring both times.
-
Elon Musk5 days ago
Elon Musk teases crazy new Tesla FSD model: here’s when it’s coming
-
Elon Musk3 days ago
Elon Musk confirms Tesla AI6 chip is Project Dojo’s successor
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla hints a smaller pickup truck could be on the way
-
News3 days ago
Tesla Model Y L reportedly entered mass production in Giga Shanghai
-
Elon Musk3 days ago
Tesla CEO Elon Musk details massive FSD update set for September release
-
News2 weeks ago
Elon Musk highlights Tesla Model Y’s most underrated feature
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla takes first step in sunsetting Model S and X with drastic move
-
Cybertruck3 days ago
Tesla’s new upgrade makes the Cybertruck extra-terrestrial