The White House on Wednesday said it had granted the Big Three automakers a temporary reprieve from tariffs after a call with President Trump. 

Shares of all three automakers — Ford (F), GM (GM), and Stellantis (STLA) — were higher in midday trading after the news. 

Reading a statement from the president at Wednesday's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "We spoke with the Big Three auto dealers. We're going to give a one month exemption on any autos coming through USMCA. Reciprocal tariffs will still go into effect on April 2nd, but at the request of the companies associated with USMCA, the president is giving them an exemption for one month so that they are not at an economic disadvantage."

Leavitt clarified that Stellantis, Ford, and GM were indeed the companies that to Trump, confirming earlier reports, adding, "They requested the call, they made the ask, and the president is happy to do it. It's a one month exemption."

The reprieve for automakers came after tariffs of 25% were imposed on Tuesday on all imports from Mexico and Canada, where many cars are made. Some reports suggested the cost of vehicles could rise anywhere from $4,000, to as much as $12,000 for some cars.

With automakers unable to eat the entire cost of tariffs if imposed without killing margins, the expectation is that the much of these costs will be passed on down to the consumer. The Alliance of Automotive Innovation (AAI), a trade group representing the auto industry, claims almost the entire tariff will hit the sticker price.

“All automakers will be impacted by these tariffs on Canada and Mexico," John Bozzella, AAI president, said in a statement. 

"Most anticipate the price of some vehicle models will increase — by as much as 25 percent — and the negative impact on vehicle price and vehicle availability will be felt almost immediately."

A Southern California dealer with multiple brands — including Ford and Toyota — told Yahoo Finance they aren't too concerned about tariffs yet unless an extended trade war occurs. 

“Asking prices will go up a couple grand, but that's not transaction prices,” the dealer said about tariff impact. “I have a feeling that the MSRPs are going to go up, but we're going to have to discount a little bit more. We're going to have to share in it.”

If the tariffs are reimposed and stick for some time, the dealer will look to soften the blow customers, and eat some of the cost. Factory incentives like rebates or subsidized financing could also go away as automakers try to maintain margins.

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What many analysts and industry commentators don’t understand about the process, the dealer said, is that the transaction is about the ultimate monthly payment, not the sticker price.

"Everybody's a payment buyer," they said. "So if I present a payment, and it's $600 a month, and they go, 'Okay, I only can do $550,' well, then, I'm gonna make a deal."

Before tariffs, a deal to sell or lease that vehicle at $550 a month might work fine, but the imposition of these duties means a dealer has to find another way to get those costs out for the consumer, meaning either the dealer absorbs it, the automaker does, or the customer has to extend their payment plan length.

"Everybody in the chain of command is gonna feel this. That's the really hard part," the dealer said.

"The suppliers are gonna feel it, the OEMs are gonna feel it. We're gonna feel it. The consumer is gonna feel it."

Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram.

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