General Motors said on Tuesday that it expected to receive $500 million in tariff refunds from the federal government after the Supreme Court struck down some of President Trump’s tariffs.
The expected refund helped to bolster the automaker’s profit in the first three months of the year. G.M. said it made $2.6 billion in the quarter, a 6 percent decline from the same period a year earlier.
In February, the Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, which grants the president certain powers in national emergencies. The administration this month set up a system through which businesses can request refunds.
For G.M., the expected refund helped soften the negative impact of lower vehicle sales and $1 billion in expenses related to G.M.’s decision to scale back electric vehicle production.
G.M.’s chief executive, Mary T. Barra, said the company’s “operating performance has remained strong,” thanks to strong sales of trucks and smaller sport utility vehicles, and improvements in its Chinese operation.
But she warned that the war in Iran was raising costs and that the recent rise in gasoline prices tied to the war could dampen sales of G.M.’s profitable pickup trucks. Demand for those vehicles, however, remains strong so far.
“The No. 1 thing we are watching is what happens with the Iranian conflict,” Ms. Barra said in a conference call with analysts and reporters. “But we believe it is prudent to wait and see how events unfold before we make any changes” to G.M.’s earnings outlook.
The company is also affected by other tariffs — including those on imported steel, aluminum, cars and auto parts — that Mr. Trump imposed using Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Those tariffs, which the Supreme Court decision did not cover, remain in place.
G.M. said it now expected to pay import duties of $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion in 2026, down from a previous range of $3 billion to $4 billion.
The company said its revenue in the first quarter declined slightly to $43.6 billion. Global vehicle deliveries fell 10 percent to 1.3 million cars and light trucks, partly because of a drop in electric vehicle sales in the United States.
Demand for electric cars slumped last fall after Congress and Mr. Trump ended tax credits to buyers of electric vehicles. As a result, G.M. and other automakers are making fewer battery-powered cars.
G.M. is converting a plant in Orion, Mich., to make internal combustion vehicles instead of electric vehicles. The company incurred a $1 billion expense in the first quarter as a result of that change.
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