Cai Jing Wang·2025-08-08 15:28Core Viewpoint - Major multinational automotive manufacturers are facing significant performance declines due to intense market competition and trade tariffs, as evidenced by the financial reports for the second quarter and first half of 2025 [1][2][3]. Group 1: German Automakers - Volkswagen Group reported a revenue of €158.4 billion for the first half of 2025, remaining stable year-on-year, but its operating profit fell by approximately 33% to €6.7 billion, with net profit dropping over 38% to €4.477 billion [2]. - Mercedes-Benz Group's second-quarter revenue was €33.153 billion, down 9.8% from €36.743 billion the previous year, with net profit plummeting 68.7% to €0.957 billion [3]. - BMW Group's half-year revenue decreased by 8% to €67.685 billion, with net profit down 29% to €4.015 billion, although the company maintained its full-year financial outlook [6]. Group 2: Impact of Tariffs - The decline in profits for Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW has been attributed to new import tariffs imposed by the U.S. on electric vehicles and parts, resulting in significant cost burdens [6]. - Volkswagen reported an additional cost burden of €1.3 billion due to U.S. tariffs, while Porsche incurred about €0.4 billion in extra expenses [6]. - The German automotive industry is projected to see a combined cash flow reduction of approximately €10 billion due to U.S. tariff policies [7]. Group 3: Japanese and Korean Automakers - Toyota's net profit for the 2025 fiscal year is expected to drop by about 44% to ¥2.66 trillion (approximately €18.1 billion), with operating profit projected to decrease by 33% to ¥3.2 trillion [8]. - Honda reported a net profit of ¥196.6 billion for the second quarter, down 50.2% year-on-year, primarily due to U.S. tariffs [8]. - Mazda's second-quarter net profit turned into a loss of ¥42.1 billion, significantly impacted by U.S. tariffs [10]. - Hyundai's second-quarter net profit fell by 22% to ₩3.25 trillion (approximately €2.3 billion), with losses attributed to U.S. tariffs [11]. Group 4: U.S. Automakers - Tesla's second-quarter revenue decreased by 12% to $22.496 billion, with net profit down 16% to $1.172 billion [13]. - General Motors reported a slight revenue increase of 0.2% to $91.141 billion for the first half of 2025, but net profit fell by 20.9% to $4.68 billion [13]. - Ford reported a tariff payment of $800 million for the second quarter, while General Motors' tariff costs amounted to $1.1 billion [13]. Group 5: Industry Outlook - Analysts indicate that the automotive industry's performance improvement remains under pressure due to ongoing tariff impacts and rising costs of raw materials [14]. - The recent trade agreements between Japan and the U.S. and between the U.S. and the EU have resulted in reduced tariff rates, but concerns remain about the overall competitiveness of the automotive sector [12][13].