Bentley is in limbo as tariffs remain unclear: What to know

Yahoo

5 hours ago

The EU is looking to enact a 10% tariff across the board. Additionally, Bentley (VWAGY) is holding back inventory as tariff uncertainty clouds US import plans.
Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Pras Subramanian explains how this affects automakers and how the lack of a finalized US–UK deal is forcing Bentley to go month-to-month on its pricing strategy.
To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination here.
Meanwhile, the European Union weighing a 10% tariff deal as President Trump's July deadline now looms. For more what this means for carmakers, let's get to our senior autos reporter, prize Sumerian prize.
Yeah, I mean, this is kind of a big deal for European automakers like BMW and Mercedes, that that to bring that down the sector tariffs is 25% to 10% will be a huge deal for them, uh, based on the fact that so many of their cars are sold here. Uh, I mean, but, you know, the UK has a deal already supposedly with, with, uh, with the US and I spoke to the Bentley CEO about this, and they said, hold on, there's actually no details yet. Uh, the deal is supposedly been agreed to, but, uh, the UK government's still waiting for paperwork and an actual deal terms from the US government and, and, uh, UK government said it might take a few weeks still. So I spoke to the CEO about this, and he said, basically, since we don't have the deal actually, the terms yet and signed
So he's saying I don't know. He's saying I just have a world of uncertainty I'm navigating.
Yeah, so they, exactly, because they, they, you know, last month, they made the deal, made the announcement, but the deal has not actually been hasn't been signed yet, or come through yet. So he told me a few things they're doing, basically they're working month to month here on policy, uh, price protecting through the month of June, uh, people who have custom orders in place, they'll they'll honor those pricing agreements and they'll bring the cars in, but further inventory is going to be held in the UK until, uh, until further notice and, and basically, they just can't bring those vehicles in until they know what their exposure is going to be, because it could be a lot more, it could be a lot less who knows. So keeping it there, uh, they won't make any more decisions till next month. So month to month, we'll keep an eye on that, but they also have a new car out, new Bentayga Speed, SUVs are top selling SUV. I mean, the speed version is a VA powered truck.
How much is that going to run us? Yeah, that's a big question.
Around 300 grand, probably, but it's going to be only gas powered. It's just a change for them because they've been going heavily into hybrid, but they say, hey, you know what, our buyers want this option, and it'll be a very special car. So they're going to do it.
I would assume that Bentley has a decent amount of pricing power at that level of customer that if they do end up if they get more clarity around the effect of the tariffs, if that's going to increase their costs that they can pretty easily pass that on to their customers or
I mean, 10% is not that big of a jump from, let's say, 25. So a $300,000 car, you're talking about $30,000. So how much of that's going to go to the client and versus them? Half, uh, more than half, and that's part of the question they have to sort of answer themselves. But I think you're right, I think they, it's, it's, it's not a, it's not a fully elastic good, right? There is some, uh, ability to kind of waver here with pricing, but they can't go too far, right? Because margins are, I think the last, last year, they were around, uh, 14%, right? So there's only so much you can play with. And that's been coming down from 20 the year before. So that's the big question.
Even if you're rich, you still want to feel like you're getting a good deal.
That's why you have all the money. You don't pay, you don't need to.
There you go. All right, thanks so much, Pras.
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