Posted originally on CTH on April 24, 2025 | Sundance

President Donald Trump will be holding a celebration of his 100 days in office during a stop in Michigan.  It makes sense to pick Michigan as the auto industry is representative of the Trump global trade reset and tariff program.

So far, eleven new or expanded U.S. automotive factories have been announced as major automakers seek to establish production lines in the USA to avoid 25% auto tariffs.  The latest announcement was from Toyota, for expanded facilities in West Virginia.

“Toyota Motor Corporation’s North American manufacturing subsidiary, Toyota North America Inc, announced this week that it plans to invest a further US$88 million in its West Virginia plant in the US to assemble its next generation of hybrid transaxles.” {source}

Additionally, South Korea is on the losing end of negotiation leverage due in large part to their position within the auto sector.  Japan has already had preliminary discussions with the Trump administration on a new free trade agreement. Now we see South Korea coming to the table for the agreement outline today.

(Reuters) – A South Korean delegation will meet U.S. counterparts on Thursday for an opening round of trade talks, with cooperation on shipbuilding and energy expected to be on the agenda, and possibly shared defence costs, as Seoul seeks lower tariffs.

South Korea, which faces 25% U.S. reciprocal tariffs, is among the first countries the Trump administration has initiated trade talks with, after its first face-to-face discussions last week with Japan, another key Asian ally slapped with 24% tariffs. (more)