Overview

• Mercedes-Benz’s Q2 net profit plunged almost 70% to €957 million after tariffs cut its car division margin from 6.6% to 5.1%, adding roughly €362 million in costs.
• Porsche reported a €400 million tariff hit in the first half, saw its operating profit collapse 91% in Q2, and trimmed its full-year return on sales target to between 5% and 7%.
• Aston Martin widened first-half losses to about £135 million, revised its full-year earnings guidance toward breakeven, and invoiced a quarter’s exports in 24 hours to secure a 10% tariff rate.
• Preliminary EU-US and UK-US deals cut tariffs to 15% for EU imports and 10% for the first 100,000 UK-made cars, prompting front-loaded shipments and lobbying for fairer quota mechanisms.
• Weak demand in China and a slow shift toward electric vehicles continue to pressure luxury automakers during costly restructurings and model transitions.