GOOD EVENING, I'M LISA DESJARDINS.

JOHN YANG IS AWAY.

WE START WITH CONSEQUENTIAL MOMENT FOR A KEY PIECE OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY, THE CAR INDUSTRY.

THIS WEEKEND, SOME CAR BUYERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WERE RUSHING TO SHOW ROOMS AS AUTOMAKERS BRACE FOR A 25% TARIFF ON VEHICLES AND AUTO PARTS MADE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

THOSE KICK AND THURSDAY AND COULD RAISE SOME CAR PRICES BY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

BUT PRESIDENT TRUMP TOLD NBC NEWS IN A PHONE INTERVIEW YESTERDAY "I COULD NOT CARE LESS," I HOPE THEY RAISE THEIR PRICES BECAUSE IF THEY DO, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BUY AMERICAN-MADE CARS.

WE HAVE PLENTY.

WE ARE JOINED BY MICHELINE MAYNARD, A VETERAN BUSINESS JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR WHO COVERS THE AUTO INDUSTRY.

HER SUBSTACK IS CALLED "INTERSECTION- EVERYTHING THAT MOVES."

WE ARE GOING TO VOTE TO A FEW SECTORS HERE BUT LET'S START WITH THOSE LOOKING TO BUY A CAR.

SHOULD THEY BE RUSHING OUT TO DO THAT NOW?

>> THE CARMAKERS HAVE QUITE A FEW VEHICLES ON THEIR LOT SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NEED TO JUMP OUT TOMORROW AND BUY A CAR, THEY DO HAVE INVENTORY.

THIS IS LIKE THE DAYS DURING THE PANDEMIC WHEN THEY WERE DOWN TO NO CARS.

BUT YOU HAVE TO FIGURE THAT THE CLOCK IS TICKING AND THAT WE WILL START TO SEE THE INVENTORY OF THESE VEHICLES RUN OUT BEFORE THE TARIFFS KICK IN.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO DO IT ANYWAY, I WOULD GO.

BUT I DON'T THINK YOU NEED TO FEEL LIKE IF I WAIT UNTIL THE SUMMER, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO PAY A BILLION DOLLARS MORE.

>> TALKING TO SOME FOLKS I KNOW WHO WORK IN CAR DEALERSHIPS, SOME OF THEM HAVE HAD A GREAT MARCH ALREADY AS IT IS BUT NOW THEY ARE DEALING WITH THE PROSPECT OF THESE TARIFFS AND IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A REAL MIXED PROSPECTS FOR THEM.

WE WANT TO PLAY SOMETHING FROM A FORD DEALERSHIP, SOMEONE WORKING IN MICHIGAN, FOR EXAMPLE.

>> I AM KIND OF ON THE FENCE WITH TARIFFS, I COULD SEE WHERE THE BENEFITS COULD LIVE AND WHERE THE MISSTEPS ARE WITH TARIFFS.

I'D RATHER US AS A GLOBE, AS A TOTAL WORLD WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE PEOPLE'S LIVES BETTER.

AT THE SAME TIME IT WAS BETTER WHEN THERE WAS MORE MANUFACTURING HERE.

>> ASSUMING THAT THESE TARIFFS TO TAKE PLACE AS THE TRUMPET MINISTRATION SAID IT WILL, WHAT'S THE SITUATION FOR CAR DEALERS, COULD THIS BE A REAL PROBLEM FOR THEM IN BUSINESS?

>> ABSOLUTELY, THIS IS HOW THIS WILL WORK, THE CARS THAT ARE ON THE LOTS NOW, THERE'S NO REASON WHY THE PRICES SHOULD GO UP, HOWEVER, WE HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST THAT DEALERS WERE OFTEN PLACE FEES ON CARS, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN SITTING ON THE LOT.

SO IT'S UP TO THE DEALERS THEMSELVES BECAUSE THEY'RE INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS PEOPLE.

THEY COULD PLACE A TARIFF FEE ON THE VEHICLE EVEN IF IT WASN'T BROUGHT OVER AFTER TARIFFS TAKE EFFECT.

NOW, WHEN THE TARIFFS TAKE EFFECT, THIS IS ALL VERY CONFUSING, BECAUSE IT'S BOTH THE VEHICLE AND PARTS IN THE VEHICLE.

AND THERE'S ALMOST NO VEHICLE SOLD IN AMERICA THAT DON'T HAVE PARTS THAT COME FROM OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

EVEN TESLA, WHICH SAYS IT MANUFACTURES EVERYTHING HERE IN THE UNITED STATE, GETS SOME PARTS FROM OVERSEAS.

SO IT'S GOING TO BE, WILL THE DEALERS RAISE THE PRICES OF THE WHOLE VEHICLE, WILL THEY RAISE PRICES TO REFLECT THE PARTS THAT ARE IN THE VEHICLES?

IT'S ALL A BIG UNKNOWN RIGHT NOW.

>> THERE SEEMS BE SOME BACK AND FOURTH WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP.

ABOUT HIS STANCE HERE.

COUNTER TO THE NBC REPORTING WE JUST MENTIONED, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTED THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WARNED CEOS NOT TO RAISE PRICES BECAUSE OF THE TARIFFS.

HOW DO YOU THINK AUTOMAKER CEO'S WILL APPROACH THIS?

>> YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT CAR PRICES, THEY'RE CALLED MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICES.

THE CAR COMPANIES CAN RECOMMEND A PRICE, BUT THE DEALER IS IN CHARGE OF SETTING THE LAST PRICE.

SO THE CAR COMPANIES COULD SAY, OH, NO, WE DON'T WANT OUR DEALERS TO RAISE PRICES, BUT THESE ARE INDIVIDUAL MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE RUNNING THESE DEALERSHIPS.

AND IF THEIR COSTS FROM THE COMPANY GO UP, I CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE YOU THAT THEY'RE GOING TO RAISE CAR PRICES.

SO THAHAWILL PUT PRESSURE ON THE AUTOMAKERS TO KEEP THEIR WHOLESALE PRICES AT THE SAME LEVELS THAT THEY ARE NOW.

AND I'M NOT SURE IF THE CAR COMPANIES WILL BE ABLE TO RESIST DOING THAT.

THEY DON'T WANT TO TAKE LOSSES.

>> IN OUR LAST MINUTE OR SO, I WANT TO STEP BACK AND JUST DO A BIG PICTURE HERE.

PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS SAID HE WANTS TO PROTECT AMERICAN WORKERS, AMERICAN MANUFACTURING.

HE WANTS TO SPUR A NEW ERA, I THINK, IN AMERICA AND CAR MAKING AS HE SEES IT.

BUT THE WAY THIS TARIFF IS GOING, DO YOU SEE IT HAVING THAT EFFECT, SHORT OR LONG TERM?

>> I THINK SHORT TERM, THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF PAIN, AND IT'S NOT GOING TO JUST BE IN DETROIT, BECAUSE MORE VEHICLES ARE ACTUALLY BUILT IN THE UNITED STATES BY NON-U.S. COMPANIES NOW THAN ARE BUILT BY THE DETROIT COMPANIES.

AND SO, WE WILL HAVE TARIFFS ON EUROPEAN VEHICLES, ON SOUTH KOREAN VEHICLES, ON JAPANESE VEHICLES, AND THAT'S GOING HURT EVERYBODY ACROSS THE ENTIRE AUTO INDUSTRY.

LONG-TERM, I KNOW THE GOAL IS TO PUSH CARMAKERS TO BUILD MORE VEHICLES IN THE UNITED STATES.

RIGHT NOW, THEY DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO THAT.

AND THEY WILL HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS ON BUILDING NEW FACTORIES OR NEW ASSEMBLY LINES BASED ON THE THOUGHT THAT DONALD TRUMP MIGHT ONLY BE IN OFFICE UNTIL 2028 OR EARLY 2029.

SO THESE ARE LONG-TERM DECISIONS.

WILL THEY WANT TO MAKE A LONG- TERM DECISION FACING THE SITUATION THEY'RE IN NOW?

AND I THINK THEY'RE GONNA THINK VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT THIS.

>> MICHELINE MAYNARD, YOU CAN FIND HER REPORTING AT INTERSECTION- EVERYTHING THAT MOVES, AND WE'RE SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU JOINED US TODAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.