Ford and General Motors grow in the United States, driven by Trump's tariffs.
General Motors has had its best start to the year in its history in terms of sales, and Ford grew 14.2% in the US market as a result of the Trump administration's protectionist policies.
Ford and General Motors, the two giants of the American automotive industry, appear to be enjoying a golden moment thanks to the protectionist policies promoted by the Trump administration. These measures have given a boost to General Motors and Ford, two industrial companies that were going through some of the darkest hours of their recent past, with a commercial retreat that, in the case of General Motors, has led to its disappearance from the European market, and in the case of Ford, has forced it to abandon some of its most successful models in recent years.
General Motors has accumulated sales growth of 12% in the first quarter of the year and 9% in the second quarter of 2025, enjoying its best start to a year in its history. Some of the group's subsidiaries, such as Buick (specializing in SUVs and crossovers), have grown 29% so far this year, while Chevrolet has also grown 9% thanks to sales of its pickup trucks and crossovers. Interestingly, Chevrolet has also been the leading brand in the electric car sales segment for the first time in history, surpassing Tesla in total product volume and market share.
Ford's growth at the start of 2025 has also been driven by increased demand for SUVs and pickup trucks, with sales increasing by 14.2% during the second quarter of 2025. American Andrew Frick, president of the Ford Blue and Model e automotive division, asserts that the key to growth lies "in customers valuing a product made in America and for Americans." Ford's sales growth is focused on the pickup truck sector, but also on plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and fully electric models, with 14.7% growth compared to the total market.
Real growth, but with feet of clay
The strong sales figures of the two US automotive giants in their home market contrast with the difficulties faced by foreign manufacturers due to trade tariffs, especially if they don't have factories in the US. However, Trump's protectionist stance could also have a negative trade impact on Ford and General Motors, causing them to become excessively restricted in their local market. Initially, both manufacturers don't want to give up the nearly 1.5 million pickup trucks sold in the United States each year, but excessive specialization with a product highly geared to the specifics of the North American market could also lead to difficulties competing with versatile products in other markets, especially Europe.
In this regard, it's worth remembering that General Motors sold Opel to the Citroën-Peugeot group (now Stellantis) more than five years ago, abandoning the European market. Ford is struggling in the Old Continent after retiring iconic models like the Fiesta, Focus, and Mondeo to save production costs. The growth of General Motors and Ford is real, but it's too segmented and focused on large SUVs and pickup trucks, which, while still very popular in the United States, are products with no real commercial potential in the European, Japanese, or Chinese markets.
Finally, it's also worth noting that General Motors' growth and leadership in the electric car segment in the US domestic market and Ford's growth are due to various circumstances that can be summarized as Tesla's leadership and product crisis and the high tariffs on Chinese, Japanese, and European models, rather than on the product itself. In this regard, it's worth noting that Ford has had to reach agreements and sign various pacts to use the platforms, mechanics, and electric technologies developed by the Volkswagen Group for its electric models worldwide, as it currently lacks its own technology mature enough to develop its own, differentiated products.
