
US tariffs help push Jeep owner Stellantis into massive loss
said on Monday it suffered a massive loss in the first half of the year, when it felt the first impact of new
US tariffs
and took a massive charge following a change in US laws.
The 2.3-billion-euro ($2.7-billion) net loss in the first half of the year came as sales in
North America
continued to slump, down 25 percent by volume in the second quarter year-on-year.
The carmaker, whose stable of brands also includes Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, said first-half net revenues dropped 12.6 percent to 74.3 billion euros, according to the preliminary and unaudited results.
Sales of vehicles fell by six percent in the second quarter year-on-year, after having dropped nine percent in the first three months of 2025.
Stellantis said "the early effects of US tariffs" had a 300-million-euro negative impact and disrupted its plans to boost its struggling performance in North America.
Automakers
have struggled to respond to US President
Donald Trump
's new US tariff of 25 percent on imported cars that are not largely made within North America.
The company, which also owns the Chrysler, Dodge and Ram Truck brands, paused production at some plants in Canada and Mexico in April as the tariffs went into force.
Stellantis said the sharp drop in North American sales volume was "due to factors including the reduced manufacture and shipments of imported vehicles, most impacted by tariffs," as well as lower sales for corporate fleets.
Restructuring charge
Stellantis also took a 3.3-billion-euro charge, which it said was "primarily related to programme cancellation costs and platform impairments, net impact of the recent legislation eliminating the CAFE penalty rate and restructuring".
Trump's massive tax and spending legislation, approved earlier this month, removed the penalties for not respecting the so-called CAFE fuel economy targets, meaning automakers can produce and sell more higher polluting cars in the United States.
The company said it was in the early stage of taking action to improve performance and profitability, with new products expected to deliver a larger impact in the second half of 2025.
Stellantis suspended its financial guidance in April due to the heightened uncertainty generated by US tariffs.
Analysts at finance group ODDO BHF said a drop in sales was widely expected and noted that new chief executives often clean house by passing new provisions or restructuring charges.
Company veteran Antonio Filosa took over as chief executive in June and immediately launched a management shake-up.
Filosa headed up the North American region that accounts for most company profits and whose struggles last year precipitated the sacking of
Carlos Tavares
, and has retained responsibility for the region.
While the overall six-percent drop in sales volumes was in line with analyst expectations, according to ODDO BHF, the 25-percent drop was double the 12 percent foreseen by analysts.
Shares in Stellantis fell 2.1 percent in morning trading on the Paris stock exchange, which was 0.4 percent lower overall.
Stellantis said it would release audited first half results on July 29 as scheduled.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Full Briefing: Speaker Mike Johnson 'Blesses' Rep. Massie; Shuts Door On Epstein Files House Vote
Putin Dollar Shock For Trump After BRICS Declaration? Russia's Big De-Dollarisation Announcement Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov clarified that BRICS nations don't aim to replace the US dollar, but rather seek alternatives for mutual settlements to circumvent US sanctions. He stated BRICS intends to trade in national currencies, with Russia already conducting 90% of payments with partners in local denominations. This counters US President Trump's concerns and threats of tariffs on BRICS countries, who are also developing "BRICS Pay," a decentralized blockchain payment system for cross-border transactions. 42.2K views | 2 days ago


NDTV
42 minutes ago
- NDTV
Trump's Golden Dome Defense System Looks For Alternative To Musk's SpaceX
Washington: The Trump administration is expanding its search for partners to build the Golden Dome missile defense system, courting Project Kuiper and big defense contractors as tensions with Elon Musk threaten SpaceX's dominance in the program, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The shift marks a strategic pivot away from reliance on Musk's SpaceX, whose Starlink and Starshield satellite networks have become central to US military communications. It comes amid a deteriorating relationship between Trump and Musk, which culminated in a public falling-out on June 5. Even before the spat, officials at the Pentagon and White House had begun exploring alternatives to SpaceX, wary of over-reliance on a single partner for huge portions of the ambitious, $175 billion space-based defense shield, two of the sources said. Musk and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment. After Reuters reported initially that SpaceX was a frontrunner to build parts of Golden Dome, Musk said on X that the company had "not tried to bid for any contract in this regard. Our strong preference would be to stay focused on taking humanity to Mars." Due to its size, track record of launching more than 9,000 of its own Starlink satellites, and experience in government procurement, SpaceX still has the inside track to assist with major portions of the Golden Dome, especially launch contracts, sources say. Project Kuiper, which has launched just 78 of a planned constellation of 3,000 low-earth orbit satellites, has been approached by the Pentagon to join the effort, signaling the administration's openness to integrating commercial tech firms into national defense infrastructure and going beyond traditional defense players. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's executive chairman, told Reuters in January that Kuiper would be "primarily commercial," but acknowledged "there will be defense uses for these [low-earth orbit] constellations, no doubt." A spokesperson for Project Kuiper declined to comment for this story. The Pentagon declined to comment. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Golden Dome's ambitions mirror those of Israel's Iron Dome - a homeland missile defense shield - but a larger, more complex layered defense system requires a vast network of orbiting satellites covering more territory. In the search for more vendors for the satellite layers of Golden Dome, "Kuiper is a big one," a US official said. While SpaceX remains a frontrunner due to its unmatched launch capabilities, its share of the program could shrink, two of the people said. Officials have reached out to new entrants like rocket companies Stoke Space and Rocket Lab are gaining traction and will be able to bid on individual launches as the program matures, according to the US official. Later in the development of Golden Dome "each individual launch is going to get bid, and we have to actually give bids to other people," besides SpaceX, the official said. Need For Satellites There is an urgent need for more satellite production. Last year Congress gave Space Force a $13 billion mandate - up from $900 million - to buy satellite-based communication services in what was widely seen as one of many efforts to stimulate private sector satellite production. Amazon's Project Kuiper, a $10 billion initiative led by former Starlink managers dismissed by Musk for slow progress, Reuters has reported, has lagged behind SpaceX in deployment. But its potential defense applications - such as communications that could aid missile tracking - have drawn renewed interest as the administration prepares to allocate the first $25 billion tranche of funding authorized under Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill. Traditional defense giants Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris are also in talks to support Golden Dome. L3Harris CFO Kenneth Bedingfield told Reuters in an interview the company has seen a surge in interest in its missile warning and tracking technologies, which are expected to play a key role in the system. Northrop, meanwhile, is pursuing several efforts including a space-based interceptor, a component that would enable missile strikes from orbit, Robert Flemming, the head of the company's space business, told Reuters in an interview. "Lockheed Martin is ready to support Golden Dome for America as a proven mission partner," Robert Lightfoot, president of Lockheed Martin Space, said in a statement. Golden Dome's initial outreach this spring invited smaller, newer Silicon Valley firms seen as nimbler, more sophisticated and potentially less expensive alternatives to the big defense firms to the table - but that was before the Musk-Trump feud upended that calculus. Several with close ties to Trump aside from SpaceX, including Palantir and Anduril - were considered early frontrunners to win big pieces of the $175 billion project. But the Musk-Trump feud has reshaped the competitive landscape. Musk recently launched the "America Party," a tech-centric, centrist political movement aimed at defeating Republicans who backed Trump's tax-and-spend agenda. Rapid Timeframe Trump launched the Golden Dome initiative just a week into his second term, pushing for rapid deployment. Space Force General Michael Guetlein, confirmed by the Senate on July 17, is set to lead the program with sweeping authority. Under a previously unreported directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Guetlein has 30 days from confirmation to build a team, 60 days to deliver an initial system design, and 120 days to present a full implementation plan, including satellite and ground station details, two people briefed on the memo said. The inclusion of commercial platforms like Kuiper raises security concerns. Its satellites would need to be hardened against cyberattacks and electronic warfare, a challenge that has plagued even SpaceX's Starlink network. In May 2024, Elon Musk said SpaceX was spending "significant resources combating Russian jamming efforts. This is a tough problem." Beyond the technical and political challenges, Golden Dome could reshape global security dynamics. A fully operational space-based missile shield may prompt adversaries to develop new offensive capabilities or accelerate the militarization of space.


India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Explained: Why Trump Is Holding Out A Surprise Trade Deal With India Despite Agriculture Deadlock
New Delhi: With the clock ticking toward the August 1 deadline, India and the United States remain divided on key issues holding up a trade agreement. Agriculture and automotive components continue to block the finalisation of the deal, despite multiple rounds of negotiation between the two sides. The Indian negotiation team has returned from Washington after presenting its offer. According to sources close to the talks, New Delhi has placed its terms on the table and is now waiting. Agriculture, particularly the issue of opening the Indian market to U.S. farm imports, remains the core of the disagreement. India has cited concerns over the impact on domestic farmers and food security. The United States has expressed interest in securing agricultural concessions, especially as the outcome with India could set a model for its upcoming negotiations with Japan and the European Union. Officials involved in the process have not dismissed the possibility of a sudden move by President Donald Trump, who has previously unveiled trade agreements with Indonesia and Vietnam that diverged from what negotiators had initially discussed. These deals, which followed direct conversations between Trump and the respective heads of state, have made Indian officials cautious. India has shifted focus toward a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), targeting a resolution by September or October. However, with President Trump's unpredictable approach, a last-minute announcement for a mini-deal remains on the table. Both sides are aware of the political weight Trump places on trade announcements and their potential electoral appeal. From India's end, agriculture and dairy continue to be areas where New Delhi has shown little room for compromise. From the U.S. side, resistance to reducing import tariffs on automotive components has been flagged as a sticking point. Officials have indicated that no agreement will be signed without addressing these core issues. Meanwhile, in a separate but related development, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking on July 21, said that the Trump administration is prioritising the quality of trade agreements over meeting specific timelines. 'We are not going to rush for the sake of doing deals,' he told CNBC. When asked about the August 1 deadline, he stated that any decision to extend it would come from President Trump. Bessent also suggested that in the absence of agreements, higher tariffs could be reintroduced to increase pressure on negotiating countries. 'If we somehow boomerang back to the August 1 tariff, I would think that a higher tariff level will put more pressure on those countries to come with better agreements,' he said. He confirmed upcoming trade discussions with China, highlighting American concerns over Beijing's continued purchase of sanctioned Iranian and Russian oil. Bessent said there are broader economic imbalances that need to be addressed in future talks with Beijing. On Japan, he said the administration's focus remains on the trade outcome, not the country's internal political factors. He also indicated that the United States may push European countries to align with American positions, particularly if Washington proceeds with secondary sanctions on Russia. As of now, all eyes remain on President Trump. Whether he chooses to push through a trade deal with India before the deadline or hold out for further leverage remains to be seen. Indian officials have made clear that their side has submitted its final position and will wait for Washington's next move.