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Tesla gets more than 20% of its parts from Mexico, as well as some from Canada on top of it. So, yes, Tesla will be negatively affected by the tariffs.

However, there’s another one-month delay.

I didn’t think I would have to write this article, but I have seen plenty of “Tesla influencers” claim that Tesla would not be affected by President Trump’s current trade war:

This is false. Tesla gets a significant percentage of its car parts from Mexico and Canada.

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NHTSA releases data about the sourcing of parts for all vehicles in the US. Unfortunately, it doesn’t account for the US and Canada together, but it also lists the country of origin for the next largest source of parts.

For Tesla, that’s Mexico for all car models:

Models US/Canada Mexico
Model 3 LR AWD/RWD 75% 20%
Model 3 Performance 70% 20%
Model Y LR AWD/RWD 70% 25%
Model Y Performance 70% 20%
Cybertruck 65% 25%
Model S 65% 20%
Model X 60% 25%

This means that Tesla gets more than 20% of its parts from Mexico in addition to what it gets from Canada.

It’s also noteworthy that Tesla’s most popular car, Model Y, gets 25% of its parts from Mexico.

Despite free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico, Trump has implemented 25% blanket tariffs on the countries.

The tariffs were delayed last month, but they went into effect on Tuesday.

However, today, the White House confirmed that they were delayed again just for the automotive industry. Trump reportedly had a call with the big three this morning, Ford, GM, and Chrysler, and he agreed to another one-month delay.

If you needed more proof that Tesla is going to be affected by the tariffs, ever they go into effect, Tesla’s stock was up 2% on the news that Trump agreed to delay the tariffs.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla fans are delusional. They think that because Elon is involved with Trump and he is not fighting the tariffs, it means that it wouldn’t negatively affect Tesla.

That’s a false assumption. Elon is not fighting because he is either completely delusional about Tesla himself or just doesn’t care.

If the tariffs are ever implemented, they will negatively affect Tesla. They will increase the cost of all Tesla vehicles. Some automakers will be more affected, but Tesla will be hurt, too.

The tariffs are a complete mess. They are on one day and delayed the next. I doubt they will ever be in place for any significant length of time.

Their only real impact is making Canadian and Mexican buyers and businesses think twice about doing business with the US. This impact will likely last longer than the tariffs and Trump’s administration.

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Tesla tops 36 car Autopilot test, affordable Model Y spied, and a $5,000 EV

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Tesla tops 36 car Autopilot test, affordable Model Y spied, and a ,000 EV

Credit where credit is due: in a massive, 32-car multinational independent test, Tesla’s Autopilot ADAS came out on top, the new affordable Tesla turns out to be a corner-cutting Model Y, and one of the company’s original founders compares the Cybertruck to a dumpster. All this and more on today’s episode of Quick Charge!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Retrospec – the makers of sleek, powerful e-bikes and outdoor gear built for everyday adventure! To that end, we’ve got a pair of Retrospec e-bike reviews followed up by a super cute, super affordable new EV from China with nearly 150 miles of range for less than $5,000 USD.

PLUS: listeners can get an extra 10% off by using code ELECTREK10 at retrospec.com!

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (most weeks, anyway). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Tesla teases new Roadster as ‘the last best driver’s car’

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Tesla teases new Roadster as 'the last best driver's car'

Tesla is again teasing the new Roadster, which is now five years late, as “the last driver’s car” before self-driving takes over.

The chicken or the egg. Is Tesla delaying the Roadster to match the development of self-driving technology, or is it delaying the development of self-driving technology to match the delayed release of the Roadster?

The prototype for the next-generation Tesla Roadster was first unveiled in 2017, and it was initially scheduled to enter production in 2020; however, it has been delayed every year since then.

It was supposed to achieve a range of 620 miles (1,000 km) and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds.

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It has become a sort of running joke, and there are doubts that it will ever come to market despite Tesla’s promise of dozens of free new Roadsters to Tesla owners who participated in its referral program years ago.

Tesla used the promise of free Roadsters to help generate billions of dollars worth of sales, which Tesla owners delivered; however, the automaker never delivered on its part of the agreement.

Furthermore, many people placed deposits ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 to reserve the vehicle, which was initially scheduled to hit the market five years ago.

When unveiling the vehicle, CEO Elon Musk described it as a “halo car” that would deliver a “smack down” to gasoline vehicles.

That was almost eight years ago, and many electric hypercars have since launched and delivered this smackdown.

Tesla has partly blamed the delays on improving the next-gen Roadsters and added features like the “SpaceX package,” which is supposed to include cold air thrusters to enable the vehicle to fly – Musk has hinted.

Many people don’t believe any of it, as Tesla has said that it would launch the new Roadster every year for the last 5 years and never did.

Now, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s head of vehicle engineering, made a rare new comment about the next-generation Roadster during an interview at the X Takeover event, an annual gathering of Elon Musk cultists, last weekend.

He referred to Tesla’s next-gen Roadster as the “last best driver’s car” and said that the automaker did “some cool demos” for Musk last week:

We spent a lot of time in the last few years rethinking what we did, and why we did it, and what would make an awesome and exciting last best driver’s car. We’ve been making it better and better, and it is even a little bit more than a car. We showed Elon some cool demos last week and tech we’ve been working on, and he got a little excited.

The timing matches Musk’s recent claim that Tesla is going to have ‘the most epic demo ever, ’ but we heard that one before.

We suspected that the comment might be about the Tesla Roadster, as the CEO made the exact same comment about Roadster demos in 2019 and 2024. You will not be shocked to hear that these demos never happen.

Electrek’s Take

The “last best driver’s car” before computers are going to drive us everywhere. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy if you continue to delay the car. It might literally be the last car ever made that way. How would we ever know?

The truth is that the Roadster was cool when it was unveiled in 2017, but that was a long time ago. Tesla would need to update the car quite a bit to make it cool in 2025, and I don’t know that cold air clusters are it. You will have extreme limitations using those.

The Roadster is almost entirely in the “put up or shut up” category for me at Tesla. They need to stop talking about it and make it happen; otherwise, I can’t believe a word.

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Kia’s electric van spotted in the US again, but will it ever launch?

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Kia's electric van spotted in the US again, but will it ever launch?

The PV5 is already available in several markets, but will Kia launch it in the US? After Kia’s electric van was spotted testing in the US again, a US debut could be in the works.

Is Kia’s electric van coming to the US?

Kia launched the PV5, the first dedicated electric van from its new Platform Beyond vehicle (PBV) business, in South Korea and Europe earlier this year, promising it will roll out in “other global markets” in 2026.

Will that include the US? Earlier this year, Kia’s electric van was caught charging at a station in Indiana. Photos and a video sent to Electrek by Alex Nguyen confirmed it was, in fact, the PV5.

Kia has yet to say if it will sell the PV5 in the US, likely due to the Trump Administration’s new auto tariffs. All electric vans, or PBVs, including the PV5, will be built at Kia’s Hwaseong plant in South Korea, which means they will face a stiff 25% tariff as imports.

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Following another sighting, a US debut cannot be ruled out. The PV5 Passenger model was spotted by Automotive Validation Engineer Chris Higa (@Chrisediting) while testing in Arizona.

There’s no denying that’s Kia’s electric van, but it doesn’t necessarily confirm it will launch in the US. But it could make sense.

Despite record first-half sales in the US, Kia’s EV sales have fallen significantly. Sales of the EV9 and EV6 are nearly 50% less than in the first half of 2024.

To be fair, part of it is due to the new model year changeover, but Kia is also doubling down on the US market by boosting local production. Earlier this year, Kia said the EV6 and EV9 are now in full-scale production at its West Point, GA, facility.

The PV5 Passenger (shown above) is available in Europe with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, rated with WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo variant has the same battery options but offers a WLTP range of either 181 miles or 247 miles.

During its PV5 Tech Day event last week, Kia revealed plans for seven PV5 body types, including an Open Bed (similar to a pickup), a Light Camper, and even a luxury “Prime” passenger model.

Kia's-electric-van-US
Kia PV5 tech day (Source: Kia)

Kia is set to begin deliveries of the PV5 Passenger and Cargo Long variants in South Korea next month, followed by Europe and other global markets, starting in Q4 2025. As for a US launch, we will have to wait for the official word from Kia.

Do you want Kia to bring its electric van to the US? Drop us a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

Source: Chris Higa, TheKoreanCarBlog

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