Ford and GM report big sales boosts as Trump's tariffs threaten to raise prices and hit their profits

Ford said retail sales had risen 5% in Q1, driven by a 19% boost in March.

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

• GM and Ford reported big sales boosts ahead of Trump's 25% tariff on imported cars.
• People have been "rushing" to buy ahead of the levies, dealers and economists have told BI.
• Analysts have said both automakers' bottom lines could be hit hard by the tariffs.

GM and Ford reported big increases in the number of cars sold ahead of the Trump administration's 25% tariffs on imported vehicles.