The Effect of Trump Tariffs on American Consumers: Shifting from Cars to Gadgets

April 7, 2025 stocks24

While the most likely outcome of President Donald Trump’s tariff increases is that Americans will pay more for groceries and consumer products, it’s not the only possible effect.

At times, consumers may encounter shortages of various goods as companies from Europe to Asia pause shipments of items ranging from automobiles to video game consoles to the US. This follows Trump’s decision on Wednesday to impose new tariffs on imports from approximately 60 countries, including China and the European Union.

Here’s a look at the items that could become scarce in American stores as businesses evaluate the impact of the additional tariffs and consider reducing their market exposure.

Cars and SUVs

New models from Jaguar Land Rover may be difficult to find as the British automaker announced plans to halt exports in April due to the new trading conditions. Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. has decided to cease sales of two Infiniti SUVs built in Mexico in the US market.

According to Bloomberg News, Mercedes-Benz AG is contemplating pulling its least expensive models from the US market, as the new tariffs could render their sale economically unfeasible.

Gaming Consoles

The unexpectedly high import tax has also led Japan’s Nintendo Co. to postpone the pre-order for its highly anticipated Switch 2 gaming console. Although the launch date remains set for June 5, pre-orders in the US will not commence as previously scheduled on April 9. The company plans to reveal a new date after evaluating the potential effects of the tariffs and current market conditions.

Japanese Whiskey

Award-winning Japanese whiskeys could also become scarce in the US if Suntory Holdings opts to divert products to Japan and other Asian markets, should Trump’s tariffs render them prohibitive for American consumers.

“If the prices of Hibiki and Yamazaki become too high for US consumers, we have the option of simply changing our target market,” Suntory President Nobuhiro Torii stated in an interview, highlighting the strong ongoing demand in regions such as Asia and Japan.

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