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Auto industry speed dating and Diwali upended by tariffs

Sellers sign up for five-minute meetings with different car makers and manufacturers at the Southern Automotive Conference in Huntsville, Alabama, on October 7, 2025.
Stephan Bisaha
/
Gulf States Newsroom
Sellers sign up for five-minute meetings with different car makers and manufacturers at the Southern Automotive Conference in Huntsville, Alabama, on October 7, 2025.

On this week’s episode, we’re talking tariffs and their impact on cars and religion.

They raised the cost of preparations for Diwali. And at a speed dating event at the Southern Automotive Conference, they caused some foreign manufacturers to look more closely at American suppliers.

This episode is hosted by Drew Hawkins. The podcast is produced by Elise Gregg, Kat Stromquist, Stephan Bisaha, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Joseph King is our social producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email connect@gulfstatesnewsroom.org.

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

READ MORE:

Manufacturers like Hyundai gathered in Huntsville to hear pitches from U.S. suppliers, as tariffs have prompted them to look for local options.

'I guess if I had to take it in a positive way, I would say it's making the artists come out of all of the parents,' said one Bollywood dance instructor who is forgoing new costumes this year for her students.