Bridge Michigan
Jan. 12, 2026
Paula Gardner, Lauren Gibbons
Today, various tariff rollbacks and pauses have calmed many industry fears, even as supply chain costs increased, said Glenn Stevens, executive director of statewide advocacy group MichAuto.
Renewed commitment to autos?
Trump’s visit just days ahead of the Detroit Auto Show signals his commitment to Michigan’s signature industry, Stevens said.
Stevens said he hopes to hear more from Trump on Tuesday about his hopes for the negotiated North American trade policy under the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement.
“It’s taken a long time to develop this interconnected three country trade bloc, and we want it to be stronger together,” Stevens said.
Other auto industry policy changes over the past year led to less restrictive fuel economy and emissions standards, along with reducing subsidies for electric vehicles.
“We know what we’re dealing with now,” Stevens said about many federal directives.
However, the rapid pace of change cost the industry: Ford Motor Co., for example, is looking at $19.5 billion in write-downs after drastically downsizing its EV production plans.
If Trump speaks at length about autos, Stevens said he hopes the president offers signs that he’ll slow the velocity of change.
“The most important thing that the industry needs is as much stability and long-range planning capability as it can have,” Stevens said, allowing lasting investment and product decisions.