Trump Admin Touts Push To Decrease Automotive Costs, De-Emphasize EVs

[ad_1] The Trump administration’s high auto coverage officers on Saturday touted federal efforts to decrease automobile costs by eliminating car emissions rules, as affordability stays a key concern amongst Individuals.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Environmental Safety Company head Lee Zeldin and U.S. Commerce Consultant Jamieson Greer toured the annual Detroit Auto Present to wrap up a two-day Midwestern swing that included stops at a Ford truck manufacturing unit and Stellantis Jeep plant in Ohio on Friday.

The administration has aggressively rolled again electrical car guidelines from former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Duffy mentioned the principles “will deliver automobile costs down and permit automobile corporations to supply merchandise that Individuals wish to purchase.”

He added, “this isn't a warfare on EVs in any respect … We shouldn’t use authorities coverage to encourage EV purchases all of the whereas penalizing combustion engines.”

President Donald Trump is grappling with financial headwinds a yr after taking workplace and forward of November’s midterm elections, having campaigned on shortly fixing increased costs for American customers.

Common new automobile transaction costs hit a document $50,326 in December as Individuals purchased extra expensive vehicles and SUVs, analysis agency Cox Automotive mentioned, whereas automakers are providing fewer entry-level automobiles.

Trump signed laws final yr eliminating a $7,500 EV tax credit score, rescinding California’s EV guidelines and cancelling penalties for automakers not assembly gas effectivity necessities.

Zeldin mentioned the federal government “shouldn't be forcing, requiring, mandating that the market go in a path apart from what the American client is demanding.”

Automakers additionally face steep tariffs imposed by Trump on imported automobiles and components. Regardless of the EV coverage modifications and new tariffs, new U.S. car gross sales rose 2.4% in 2025 to 16.2 million automobiles.

Democrats say auto tariffs and efforts to eradicate EV incentives will hurt customers. However Greer mentioned automobile costs are trending down and “no matter results these tariffs might have on numerous components of the availability chain, they’re probably not getting all the way down to the buyer.”

Kathy Harris, director of unpolluted automobiles at environmental activist group NRDC, criticized the administration’s auto insurance policies. “The oil trade will rake in billions extra from cash-strapped Individuals who can’t afford to spend extra to gas up their automobile or truck.”

In December, the U.S. Division of Transportation proposed rolling again Biden-era gas effectivity requirements that had prodded auto corporations to construct extra EVs to conform. The EPA can also be anticipated to finalize a rule within the coming weeks eliminating car tailpipe emissions necessities.

USDOT estimates its proposal would cut back common up-front car prices by $930, however improve gas consumption by as a lot as 100 billion gallons by 2050, and price Individuals as much as one other $185 billion for gas.