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Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Trump's copper tariffs pile more metal misery on US auto industry
By Nick Carey and Nora Eckert LONDON/DETROIT (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of a 50% tariff on copper imports is raising alarm in the U.S. auto sector, as it could make it even harder for carmakers and suppliers to absorb border taxes and rising costs, executives and industry experts say. The duties on their own may be manageable, but prices of the red metal vital for making cars, in particular in wire harnesses and in motors for electric vehicles, have soared to record highs. The U.S. market is heavily reliant on imported copper, aluminium and steel, and developing new capacity could take years, so users are scrambling to buy metal from a limited number of suppliers, spurring price rises. Added to import tariffs on those metals, as well as higher prices in the United States, the extra costs are compounding the financial strain on carmakers and parts suppliers, interviews with a dozen executives, industry analysts and experts show. Carmakers have so far been relying on inventories to avoid raising prices, but could be forced to pass on mounting import tax costs to consumers. Some like Ford and Toyota have already announced hikes to mitigate other Trump-induced tariffs, while Porsche expects a 300-million euro ($351 million) hit to results from tariffs for April and May alone. "This (a copper tariff) complicates an already difficult situation" for the auto industry, said Daan de Jonge, lead analyst for copper demand and prices at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Trump's announcement of the tariff this week propelled prices on U.S. platform COMEX to a record $5.6820 a pound or $12,526 a metric ton, a premium of more than $2,920 a ton over the price on the London Metal Exchange, currently around $9,600 a ton, which the market uses as the global benchmark. The rate is effective August 1. The U.S. Midwest duty-paid aluminium premium paid on top of the benchmark LME price for physical delivery has tripled to 60 U.S. cents a pound since Trump was inaugurated. In the same period, the LME price has slipped 3% to $2,604 a metric ton. U.S. top carmakers GM, Ford and Jeep maker Stellantis declined to comment for this story. SUPPLIERS PASS ON SOME COSTS After a chaotic week in the copper market, suppliers to carmakers have already asked their customers this week to pay more for their product because they cannot afford the additional costs, experts say. A source at a major auto supplier in the U.S. market said the company had seen "meaningful" impact from elevated copper, aluminum and steel prices. This creates both commercial friction and structural cost gaps, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the issue publicly. Even before any tariff takes effect, users are paying more for their U.S. copper. Takashi Imamura, an executive officer at Japanese trading house Marubeni said on Wednesday a copper tariff would mean higher costs for U.S. consumers. "When they (the U.S. government) reconsider the damage, my final expectation is that they will reduce or eliminate the tariffs," Imamura said. Parts suppliers are feeling the squeeze. Melanie White, president of suspension parts maker Hellwig Products, said steel prices have quadrupled since 2018. Steel tariffs have caused a rush to source from U.S. providers, making it harder to secure supplies. White said the roughly 50-person business has cut costs by putting off equipment purchases or not rehiring for certain vacant positions. "It has affected a lot of things," she said. COSTS Benchmark's de Jonge said that at pre-tariff rates, steel, aluminium and copper accounted for around 5% of a vehicle's production costs in the United States. With tariffs, that rises to up to 9%, he said. Based on estimates from Cox Automotive and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence on tariffs already in place combined with the planned copper rates, the U.S. auto industry would pay on average minimum duty of $1,700 for every car made in the U.S. and $3,500 per car imported from Canada and Mexico that complies with the USMCA trade deal. It would be as much as $5,700 for every car imported from elsewhere. Those numbers add up fast in a low-margin industry where the average U.S. new vehicle selling price in June hit $46,233, according to consultancy J.D. Power. Consultancy CRU Group estimates the average combustion-engine or hybrid car requires about 24 kg (53 pounds) of copper, while the average fully-electric car needs around 59 kg. Dan Hearsch, global co-leader for automotive and industrials at consultancy AlixPartners, said supplier agreements tend to be indexed to copper prices and revised every few months. But the spike in copper prices this week has forced auto suppliers to go to customers and "say, 'Hey, we need to talk about this on top of all our other tariff conversations,'" Hearsch said. Some in the industry remain skeptical that the copper tariff will actually be implemented. Trump has a history of delaying or walking back tariff threats. Andy Leyland, co-founder of supply chain specialist SC Insights, said that a copper tariff would likely be short-lived because higher inflation caused by border taxes will collide with the reality of the U.S. political calendar - where midterm elections will be held in November 2026. "Most Americans don't really give a damn about foreign policy," Leyland. "Inflation is the only concern that people really have." ($1 = 0.8556 euros) (Reporting By Nick Carey in London and Nora Ecker in Detroit; additional reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru, Katya Golubkova in Tokyo, Pratima Desai and Eric Onstad in London;Editing by Josephine Mason and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) Sign in to access your portfolio
USA Today
01-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Watch Ron Bellamy discuss Michigan football's revamped offense in new video
Watch Ron Bellamy discuss Michigan football's revamped offense in new video DETROIT -- The Wolverines are hoping that the offensive changes they made this offseason will be enough, combined with a dominant defense, to get Michigan football back into the College Football Playoff. From bringing in former No. 1 overall 2025 recruit in former five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, to getting a couple of transfer receivers in Donaven McCulley and Anthony Simpson, to getting running back Justice Haynes to transfer from Alabama, the new-look maize and blue should be better offensively than last year. On Sunday at the SoundMind SoundBody football showcase camp, Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy met with the media to discuss the state of the offense. WolverinesWire was on-hand for the final seven (of 11) minutes of his impromptu availability, where he delved into multiple topics. From Underwood's leadership as a true freshman to recruiting the state of Michigan, Bellamy covered a number of topics. Ron Bellamy meets with the media Key quotes On how Bryce Underwood compares to other former Michigan QBs "I don't know. He's unique. He's unique You know, big kid, strong arm, accurate, super cerebral, super smart kid. "I don't know. We've had a lot of great quarterbacks at Michigan. I don't think it's fair to Bryce to say who's comparable to him now because he hasn't taken a snap yet, you know, but obviously there's a lot of great things that he's done thus far, in the short term. You can see it. You can definitely see it. But like I say, I'm most impressed with his leadership and the way he comes out there ready to go every day. For a young kid, that's pretty impressive. I "He doesn't get rattled. He's always working. And you love that as a coach because the quarterback usually leads the team and guys follow. You can see that following now with some of the guys, not just guys in his class, but some of the older guys too, that Bryce has done a good job with." On Semaj Morgan in Chip Lindsey's offense and his work to become more explosive "Yeah, you guys have seen Semaj. He's an explosive athlete. Older, understanding the game, and slowing down for him. And he's just doing a lot of great things. Semaj had a really good spring and just keep chasing that greatness. "He had a really good spring. He had a really good spring, and I'm excited to kind of see where summer goes for him. And then obviously, camp, we'll go to camp in August. But yeah, Semaj, he's stronger, more explosive. I'm excited for him." Michigan will partake in summer conditioning in June and July with fall camp set to take place in August.
San Francisco Chronicle
28-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Giants' offense continues to flail, Bob Melvin ejected in loss to Detroit
DETROIT – Logan Webb's sinker to Gleyber Torres in the fifth inning brushed the bottom of the strike zone and home plate umpire Tony Randazzo called it a ball. That got San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin heated enough to earn an ejection from his dugout post, but he didn't leave until he hurled a few angry words at Randazzo. Patrick Bailey, an inning prior, lost a nine-pitch at-bat after being rung up on a borderline pitch. Randazzo's strike zone ticked Melvin off, but the frustration of a grueling road trip thus far was already brewing. By that point, the Giants were down three runs with no comeback in sight. They lost to the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Tuesday night, guaranteeing a series loss to the American League's top team. Not since May 16 against the Athletics, 10 games ago, have the Giants scored more than four runs. As has been the trend, they could get nothing going against the opposing team's starter – this time, righty Jack Flaherty. The winds blowing in from left field might've robbed the Giants of a pair of home runs. Wilmer Flores was a few inches shy of a two-run home run in the first inning, but left fielder Riley Greene had his glove at the wall ready to make the catch. Matt Chapman hit a ball 102 mph to the same location in the fourth inning, but it was caught again at the wall. When the Giants made contact, they were hitting the ball hard; five times they recorded exit velocities over 100 mph against Flaherty. They had two hits to show for it. They scored their run in the ninth against Tigers reliever Will Vest. Heliot Ramos hit a leadoff single and Flores hit a double into the gap, scoring Ramos. Flores' double was their first extra-base hit of the series, getting the tying run to home plate. Wilmer was stranded. The team's struggles at the plate put pressure on Webb to limit his mistakes, but the Tigers mounted a lead early. Coming off a loss to the Kansas City Royals in which he gave up 10 hits, Webb surrendered six hits in the first three innings, including a home run, for three runs. After striking out the side with a runner on in the third, Webb settled in. He struck out 10 overall, his 10th career double-digit strikeout game and third of the year, while throwing 104 pitches over six innings.
USA Today
18-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan's defense raves over Bryce Underwood's elite skills in 2025 spring ball
Michigan's defense raves over Bryce Underwood's elite skills in 2025 spring ball DETROIT -- The expectations for Michigan football freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood couldn't be any higher. Though the former five-star shared reps with redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis this spring, all eyes are on the 2025 No. 1 overall recruit as he's expected to win the starting job -- even when Mikey Keene returns from injury. During spring ball, all quarterback conversations that Underwood's teammates had with the media also included Davis and how he was doing. But now that we've gotten to see both in the spring game, Underwood's ability is undeniable. Even the defensive players aren't just singing his praises, they're gushing about his play -- something that could certainly help them out should the offense have more success sustaining drives this season. A former high school quarterback breaks down Underwood's game Michigan junior safety Brandyn Hillman isn't just a defensive standout poised to enter the starting lineup this year, but he was a quarterback at the high school level. Though he no longer plays the position in college, he not only still knows about it, but he is tasked with defending Underwood's throws in practice. He told WolverinesWire (via the Locked On Wolverines Podcast) that he sees a signal caller that is far beyond his years compared to other freshmen or young quarterbacks. "So Bryce, in my opinion -- real polished," Hillman said. "I played quarterback in high school, so it's not like I was out there just running quarterback. You could put on a tape -- I played quarterback. I could look at a quarterback -- Bryce's real polished. He's ahead of the game. Certain quarterbacks, when they get into a college atmosphere, they can't pick up the game because it's moving so fast. Bryce came in day one, it was smooth for him. He got an arm, his eyes, his arm's live. It's just certain things. You got to pick up defensive coverages. Sometimes we move certain coverages to (expletive deleted) his head up, (expletive deleted) like that." Hillman is noting that no matter what Wink Martindale and the defense does, Underwood is learning and improving, understanding that there's a lot he doesn't know. But he appears to innately understand what it takes to play at the college level. Underwood's progress from bowl prep to post-spring ball It's not usual that freshmen start at quarterback and thrive -- and even when they do, it's not usually right out of the gates. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence didn't get to start until Week 5, with Kelly Bryant taking the reins initially. Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa sat behind Jalen Hurts until late in the national championship game his freshman year. Fifth-year defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny thinks that Underwood getting to play against the first-string Michigan defense in spring ball has helped the freshman phenom enormously. "Just within this short little time -- part of it, I think, he already had the ability, but just him seeing it from us on a daily basis and being able to have pocket awareness, I think that's good training and that's what's going to translate into the season," Benny said. "And, when the time comes, he's gonna show that everything was worth it and all the work paid off. He's just locked in on all the details, and he tries to make everything like a learning experience. " But it's not just about being thrown into the fire. Hillman notes that despite Underwood's youth, he's still got a lot to learn. However, the great news is that he has shown that he has the work ethic to thrive, even if it is in year one. "He's young. He's still got to get into the playbook and get into everything, learn everything," Hillman said. "So long as he keeps doing what he got to do now -- because right now he's doing everything that he's supposed to do. I'm not going to say too much what he's supposed to be doing, but he's doing everything right. "And then, just got to keep being him. He's a good kid -- off the field and everything. You won't see Bryce like, 'Oh, I'm the biggest, baddest guy.' It's Bryce. He's a cool guy." Fans will likely get their next opportunity to see Underwood in action on August 30 when Michigan football hosts New Mexico for the 2025 season opener at The Big House.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Yankees takeaways: Lineup goes cold, Carlos Rodon shaky in loss to Tigers in chilly Detroit
Yankees takeaways: Lineup goes cold, Carlos Rodon shaky in loss to Tigers in chilly Detroit DETROIT – 'You like the cold!?'' Tommy Kahnle shouted, greeting some of his old teammates on a frosty Monday afternoon. Naturally, the always amped-up Kahnle was dressed in a gray Detroit Tigers t-shirt while most well-layered Yankees also sported gaiters and winter caps against the 38-degree chill. Advertisement A light snow began to fall just before Casey Mize's first pitch at 3:10 p.m. 'Both teams have to deal with it, it's part of big-league baseball playing in the Northeast and the Midwest,'' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the early spring conditions. On Monday, the Tigers dealt with it a little better, scoring a 6-2 victory before just 14,132 fans – a very sparse crowd to see Aaron Judge and the defending AL champs. Start times for this entire three-game series were switched from night to day games, due to the cold temps. And Monday's start was forecast as the warmest of the set. Tuesday's 1:10 p.m. game is expected to be played in the 30-degree range, with overnight temperatures in the 20s leading into Wednesday's 1:10 p.m. finale. Advertisement 'Everyone's got a job to do,'' said Boone. 'Doesn't matter if it's 80 and sunny or 40 and drizzly.'' Related: Anthony Volpe should be next candidate for a Yankees contract extension. Here's why The last time the Tigers and Yankees played, it was 66 degrees in Lakeland - a cool-for-Florida exhibition game on March 21. For added heat Monday, Boone simmered at plate umpire Bruce Dreckman for his strike zone against starter Carlos Rodon, who made his displeasure known from the mound. Rodon stared toward home plate as he questioned a third inning walk to No. 8 hitter Jake Rogers. After walking the No. 9 hitter, Rodon served up a three-run homer to Andy Ibanez for a 3-0 lead, and the Tigers (6-4) advanced to their fourth straight win. Advertisement Mize held the Yankees (6-4) to just one run over six innings, while Rodon pitched into the seventh – sometimes operating in a snow-globe atmosphere – and yielded five earned runs. At least the sun was back out again as Kahnle closed out his old mates in the ninth. This article originally appeared on NY Yankees lineup goes cold, Carlos Rodon shaky in loss to Tigers
