There is no doubt the tariffs that President Trump said he would impose on imported cars, trucks and auto parts next week will raise prices by thousands of dollars for consumers.
What is not clear is how soon those increases will kick in, how high they will go and which models will be affected the most.
The tariffs — 25 percent on imported vehicles and automotive parts — are supposed to take effect next Thursday. But many car dealers said they were putting aside the question of price increases for now to focus on ending March with a sales flourish in the month’s final weekend.
“I’m not really thinking about what to do about prices yet,” said Adam Silverleib, owner of a Honda store and a Volkswagen showroom in the suburbs south of Boston. “I’m trying to close out the month and move as many cars as I can.”
Mr. Silverleib also pointed out that Mr. Trump had announced tariffs before only to delay them just before they were to take effect. “We’ll see if anything transpires in the next 96 hours,” he said on Thursday.
Auto analysts estimate that the tariffs will add $4,000 or more to the prices of many new vehicles that are assembled outside the United States. For some high-end models, such as fully loaded pickup trucks, prices could rise $10,000 or more.