On April 2nd, the U.S. officially implemented reciprocal tariffs, though not extended to the automotive industry in general. According to TrendForce’s latest research, the US has applied a 25% surcharge to imported passenger cars and light trucks as planned. A similar 25% tariff on auto parts is set to take effect by May 3rd.
TrendForce reports that NVIDIA introduced the Isaac GR00T N1 foundation model for general-purpose humanoid robots at GTC 2025. This open-source model features comprehensive datasets, multi-modal inputs, and adaptable training capabilities, enabling researchers to fine-tune GR00T N1 with real and synthetic data for specific environments and applications. GR00T N1 is expected to drive early market adoption of humanoid robots by accelerating AI model training and reducing time-to-market, with the industry’s total market value projected to approach US$4 billion by 2028.
TrendForce’s latest report reveals that global EV traction inverter installations reached 8.67 million units in 4Q24, marking a 26% QoQ increase. Strong demand from China and Europe served as the primary growth driver, leading to a 28% increase in installations for both BEVs and PHEVs compared to the previous quarter. This surge propelled Huawei into the top five global traction inverter suppliers for the first time.
TrendForce’s latest investigations reveal that global sales of new cars are expected to reach 90.6 million units in 2025, marking a 2.4% YoY increase. China will account for the largest share at 29%, followed by the US at 18% and Western Europe at 15%. However, the US market faces significant uncertainty due to tariffs, while competition in China’s smart vehicle sector is expected to heat up.
Government worldwide are ramping up investments in robotics R&D as labor shortages and rising costs persist. TrendForce reports that China, Japan, the US, South Korea, and Germany have consistently ranked among the top five countries for industrial robot installations and are expected to continue executing over US$13 billion in related projects by 2025. The US boasts a more advanced AI ecosystem, while China is focused on building a robust supply chain. This divergence is expected to drive greater product pricing variations and application diversity in the future.
