Tariffs are forcing any automakers to rethink their product strategies and the increased fees are being felt by everyone. Toyota is the largest Japanese automaker but while the firm has beefed-up production of its vehicles in the U.S. the company still faces significant exposure from tariffs due to a number of its vehicles still being imported into the U.S from other countries.

Toyota is planning to raise prices but not as much as they were expected to initially, which will ease the stress felt by new car buyers as they prepare to buy their next vehicle

Prices to go up, but not by much

According to Reuters Toyota will increase the price of its vehicles by $270 with Lexus vehicles seeing their prices go up by $208. These increases are less than typical inflation-related adjustments and are a noticeable decrease from price increases instituted by rival Subaru which saw the price of their vehicles jump between $750 to $2,055 depending on model. The company was quick to point out that the cost increases in play are not due to tariffs but rather “normal operations.”

It’s also important to note that Toyota didn’t release pricing for individual vehicles and instead used lump sum pricing to pool them all together. Look for some noticeable variances to be seen when going model to model with some prices being higher or lower than other vehicles across both brands with select vehicles potentially not going up at all. Toyota also adjusted the way it’s doing fees and we have included a chart of those changes below.

Class	DPH Fee	Increase
Large Pickup/SUV	$2,095	$100
Small Pickup (Tacoma)	$1,595	$100
Midsize SUV/Van	$1,495	$45
Small SUV	$1,450	$55
Entry SUV (Corolla Cross)	$1,450	$100
Passenger Car	$1,195	$60

Toyota’s situation is a sign of the times

Toyota’s decision to raise prices comes as the Trump Administration continues trade negotiations with the Japanese government with the company being in the unenviable posistion of not only being involved in the talks themselves, but also ultimately being impacted by whatever outcome emerges.

A separate report suggests Toyota is prepared to potentially make some concessions to help ink a deal including letting American manufacturers have access to its Japanese dealer network as well as reimporting vehicles built in America to Japan. Toyota’s responses have been cautious and calculated which is to be expected when you consider how much is at stake for the company. For now, don’t expect any drastic changes with the company choosing to move in a strategic manner when it comes to making key decisions.