Toyota makes a tariff move customers are going to hate originally appeared on TheStreet.

While President Donald Trump's social media posts make it seem as though his tariff moves are executed at his whim, it is clear that at least some industries have a seat at the negotiating table.

The auto industry's top executives have said they are in close contact with the White House and have even praised the president and his White House team for hearing their concerns.

However, it is also clear that Trump's interest in protecting the auto industry's bottom line is minimal.

Related: General Motors makes $4 billion tariff move

Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors — America's Big 3 automakers — have all said that Trump's tariffs will cost them billions, and they've pulled their guidance due to a lack of visibility.

Trump has made it clear to every industry that he doesn't want prices to increase, even going as far as telling companies like Walmart to just “EAT THE TARIFFS.”

So, every time the auto industry has been observed raising prices in recent months, it has denied that it has anything to do with tariffs.

Others, like Mazda, have indeed eaten the tariffs, with the Japanese automaker sending a letter to its U.S. dealers informing them that it would not raise its sticker prices or tack on import fees for any vehicles already on dealership lots or that will come into the country before May 1.

Toyota is the latest Japanese automaker to make a pricing move, but it isn't blaming the move on tariffs.

Toyota sold over 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, a 3.7% year-over-year increase. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the company built 1.96 million units in the U.S., according to Statista.

So, despite a U.S. production capacity that can handle nearly 2 million vehicles a year, Toyota still ships in nearly half a million vehicles from overseas to sell in the U.S.

On June 21, Toyota said that prices for several Toyota and Lexus brand vehicles will rise by an average of $270 and $208, respectively, starting in July, according to an email seen by Bloomberg.

While the price increase could be seen as a response to the 25% duties Trump has placed on auto imports, Toyota insists that the move is just part of its regular price review process.

Related: Jeep parent Stellantis ponders drastic action on struggling brand

In April, fellow Japanese automaker Mitsubishi said it would hold its vehicles in port for the foreseeable future instead of offloading them and being forced to pay duties.