Americans are racing to buy cars in an apparent effort to act before tariffs cause prices to go up.
Major car companies saw sales spike sharply in March with nearly 1.6 million vehicles sold, according to Motorintelligence.com.
General Motors reported a 17% increase in its first-quarter sales.
Kia and Hyundai also reported double-digit first-quarter sales gains, at 11% and 10%, respectively.
Last week, President Trump announced 25% tariffs on all foreign-made vehicles and some car parts set to begin April 3.
The White House hopes the tariffs will spur auto companies to produce more cars domestically.
RELATED STORY | Trump announces US automakers will get a month's reprieve from tariffs on imports
But consumers worry it will cause prices to go up, and many want to buy before that happens.
Karen Pettke told Scripps News Group Detroit that she was originally planning to buy a car in June but pivoted upon news of the tariffs.
"I had to hustle and get a car before the Trump tariffs come into being," Pettke said. "I didn't want to take a chance that this car could go up thousands of dollars."
Pettke is not alone.
John Giasullo owns a car dealership in Florida and Told Scripps News Group West Palm Beach that he's seen more buyers coming in who ready to buy fast.
"Just this past weekend we were slammed on Saturday, no time for the guys to eat lunch, just constantly busy," Giasullo said. "I popped in Sunday to help one customer; we ended up selling four cars in a three-hour period. So, they're nervous."
As sales jump ahead of the tariffs, it's unclear the exact impact they'll have once they're imposed. Last week, Cox Automotive revised its 2025 forecast to predict 700,000 fewer cars will be sold in the U.S. this year.
