Trump's second-favorite set of wheels, the golf cart, is in its own trade war

CNBC

30-04-2025

Across the first 100 days of his second term and ups and downs in the level of tariff threats, President Trump, an avid golfer, has often been on the course and photographed in a golf cart, typically a cart made by domestic companies Club Car or E-Z-Go. It may not be "The Beast" or "Cadillac One," as the presidential limo is called, but it's a preferred mode of transport for Trump, and it is not immune to the trade war.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration indicated it would carve out tariff exemptions for automakers manufacturing cars in the U.S. to alleviate some of the pressure of moving more production to domestic plants. That is no surprise, as for years even the cars identified as being the most "Made In America" are far from 100% domestically sourced. Tesla comes closest at as much as 87.5%.
Trump's second favorite set of wheels, the golf cart, is another good example of the global reality behind "Made in America" manufacturing claims. While both Club Car and E-Z-Go assemble their golf carts in the United States, they source their components from China, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Turkey, and Europe, among other countries.
The two companies — which collectively held a substantial market share, over 37%, of the golf cart industry in 2024, according to Global Market Insights — were a part of a case brought to the U.S. International Trade Commission alleging harm from unfair Chinese trade practices. The ITC has already found a reasonable indication that imports from China are materially injuring what is defined as the U.S. low-speed, personal transportation vehicle market. A final determination, which could include tariffs on Chinese-made golf carts, is scheduled to be announced on June 17.
According to ImportGenius, the U.S. imported $709 million in fully assembled golf carts in 2024, with $703 million, or 99% of that, coming from China.
For Club Car and E-Z-Go, data gathered and analyzed by ImportGenius shows that while the assembly of their carts may take place in the U.S., the supply chains are potentially exposed to many Trump administration tariffs.
E-Z-Go, which is part of diversified industrial Textron, sources its golf carts from a supply chain that is heavily reliant on products from China and Taiwan. The engines for their golf carts are made in Taiwan; the GPS tracking system is made in Malaysia; and the golf cart itself — golf cart seats, mirrors, windshields, cargo bed, enclosures, fenders, steering wheels, golf seat trays, golf car batteries, and grab handles — are all made in China.
For Club Car, which was owned by Ingersoll-Rand for many years but is now owned by private equity firm Platinum Equity, the golf cart supply chain is more diverse. In addition to the motors, speaker systems, plastic injection molds, chargers, brakes, clutches, and parts from China, key components are imported from a wide variety of countries. These include chargers from Hong Kong; drive axles imported from Japan; transaxles from Singapore; lithium ions and other golf cart parts from South Korea; rotor disks and other golf cart parts from Germany, Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka and India; solenoid switches from the U.K.; and rear shock absorbers from Vietnam.
"These golf carts illustrate the complexity of our reliance on Chinese imports," said Michael Kanko, co-founder and CEO of ImportGenius. "The price increases on consumer goods from tariffs is one thing, but this highlights how American manufacturers are also at risk. 'Made in America' doesn't mean 'Exempt in America.'"
Both Club Car and E-Z-Go declined to comment.
GMI projects an estimated 8% growth of the golf cart market between 2025 and 2034, which it currently estimates at a size of $2.6 billion. Driving that rise is increased use in residential communities, airports, hotels, resorts, industrial facilities, professional golf tournaments, and recreational golfing.
The ITC case, if it does lead to steep tariffs on golf carts made wholly in China, would benefit the domestic players in the market. But the broader set of global tariffs will force the domestic golf cart industry to choose between passing along higher prices to consumers or sacrificing profit margin — or some combination of the two, a decision matrix many companies across industries are now weighing.
Even the "most" American players across sectors are fearing big hits from tariffs. On Wednesday, U.S. solar power leader First Solar, which has been in a multi-decades-long battle with Chinese-based solar cell and panel manufacturers, said Trump's tariffs "create a significant economic headwind" for its plants in India, Malaysia and Vietnam, the latter two of which serve the U.S. market exclusively.
Golf carts are just one example of complex products assembled in the U.S. that rely on foreign components, according to Jason Miller, Eli Broad Professor of Supply Chain Management and interim chairperson for the Department of Supply Chain Management at Eli Broad College of Business for Michigan State University.
"Many U.S. plants rely on inputs sourced from China, especially electrical components, fabricated metals, and textiles, often with few (if any) domestic alternatives available," said Miller. "In an era of global supply chains, it is difficult to find complex goods that are entirely produced from inputs that themselves come from one country."