A slower phase-in for tariffs on auto parts will give manufacturers time to ramp up manufacturing in the U.S. Some warn they will still drive up car prices.

But most auto businesses do not have the individual connections or influence to independently reach Trump and other top decision-makers. Membership in the trade groups, Bailo noted, gives a voice to small suppliers that cannot easily shift their foreign supply chains to avoid tariffs and produce their offerings in the United States.

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to relax some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers