Latest Tariff Roundup, Robotaxi With A Driver, Agentic Checkout

Automotive State of The Union

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Episode #1110: Today we cover Trump’s sweeping auto tariffs, Tesla’s not‑so‑autonomous “Robotaxi” rollout, and the rise of agentic checkout in online retail.

Show Notes with links:

• President Trump’s country-by-country auto tariff deadline has arrived, setting off a new round of trade negotiations and recalibrations for global automakers.
  • Canadian tariffs rise to 35%, though most USMCA-compliant vehicles dodge the hike.
  • Mexico earns a 90-day delay on new tariffs, holding at 25% on non-U.S. content.
  • Japan and South Korea cut tariffs to 15% with total pledges of $900B to U.S. industry
  • Japan is also willing to take American imports based on U.S. standards, meaning American OEMs don’t need to make a different car.
  • “You can take the car you make in Detroit, put it on a boat and send it,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

• Tesla’s long-hyped “Robotaxi” expansion into the Bay Area looks more like a rebranded Uber than a self-driving revolution. The cars run under Tesla’s app but still rely on humans behind the wheel.
  • Each car has a “safety monitor” in the driver’s seat, making it equivalent to an Uber driver using Tesla’s supervised Full Self‑Driving system.
  • The California DMV and Public Utilities Commission expressed concern after hearing Tesla employees discuss an imminent Robotaxi launch, even though the company has not applied for the required permits.
  • Politico reported that Tesla’s counsel reassured regulators, claiming the rollout was limited to employees, friends, family, and select members of the public.
  • Tesla is now actively recruiting “vehicle operators” in nine additional U.S. cities to replicate the Bay Area service.

• “Agentic checkout” is the latest frontier for artificial intelligence. Payment giants, tech platforms, and retailers are all racing to build systems that let AI handle more of the shopping journey.
  • Mastercard, Visa, Google, and PayPal are each rolling out agentic checkout platforms, designed to let AI act as a shopper’s digital assistant.
  • PayPal is upgrading its decades‑old systems to handle the heavier transaction loads expected from AI‑driven commerce.
  • Experts say the winners will be payment providers and e‑commerce platforms that build the infrastructure for AI agents rather than compete with them.
  • Michelle Gill, GM of small business and financial services at PayPal said that The general sense in the industry is that “rather than competing, these stakeholders increasingly collaborate to harness the potential of agentic AI.”
  • Mastercard’s Co‑President of Global Partnerships, Sherri Haymond, said retailers won’t need to replace entire platforms: “I would encourage merchants to have an open mind, and to lean in and do the work to make their environment accessible in this

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.
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