Ford Motor Co. will adjust its operations and footprint over the next 12 to 24 months to find ways to mitigate the costs from President Donald Trump's tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts. It is also focused on continued development of electric vehicles, even as demand for EVs softens and emissions policies could shift.
Those are two of the highlights from a broad-reaching interview May 28 between Ford Vice Chairman John Lawler and autos analyst Daniel Roeska at the Bernstein 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference. Roeska quizzed Lawler about Ford's plans to address tariffs if the duties continue and about the automaker's commitment to EVs.
In April, Trump imposed 25% tariffs — taxes an importer pays when goods cross international borders — on vehicles imported into the United States and imported parts that are not compliant with the United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement.
In its first-quarter earnings report on May 5, Ford said tariffs dented its adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) by $200 million in the quarter. The company suspended its financial guidance for 2025 due to tariff uncertainty. But it said it expected tariffs to inflict a $1.5 billion hit to the automaker's adjusted EBIT for the full year.
