DETROIT, May 5 (Reuters) - Ford Motor ( F ) suspended its

annual guidance on Monday because of uncertainty around U.S.

President Donald Trump's tariffs, saying the levies would cost

the company about $1.5 billion in adjusted earnings before

interest and taxes.

In February, the Dearborn, Michigan automaker projected

earnings before interest and taxes of $7.0 billion to $8.5

billion for 2025. That forecast did not take tariffs into

account.

Ford Chief Financial Officer Sherry House said the

company was on track to meet that guidance, excluding the

fallout from tariffs.

"We are focused on managing what we control," House said.

While rivals such as General Motors ( GM ) recently provided

updated guidance, Ford executives said they suspended the

company's outlook until they have more clarity about the effect

of retaliatory tariffs, as well as how consumers may react to

price increases.

Ford's earnings per share fell to 14 cents in the first

quarter, far surpassing LSEG analysts' estimate of 2 cents per

share but down from 49 cents a year earlier. Cost and quality

improvements helped Ford beat expectations, executives said.

Earlier this year, the automaker had warned that

first-quarter results would be affected by production

disruptions related to product launches at several plants. Net

income fell sharply to $471 million from $1.3 billion a year

earlier.

Ford's revenue fell 5% to $40.7 billion in the quarter but

beat expectations of about $36 billion. Earnings got a boost as

consumers rushed to snatch up vehicles, concerned tariffs would

lead to price hikes. Ford was one of a few automakers that ran

incentives to grab market share during this buying frenzy.

Ford said tariffs would add $2.5 billion in costs overall

for the year, mainly related to expenses from importing vehicles

from Mexico and China. The automaker suspended automotive

exports to China, but still imports vehicles like its Lincoln

Nautilus from the country.

Ford said it has been able to reduce about $1 billion of

that cost through various actions, including transporting

vehicles from Mexico to Canada using bond carriers, so they are

not subject to U.S. tariffs, House said.

Trump's 25% tariffs on automotive imports were expected to

add more than $100 billion in costs for automakers in the U.S.

this year, according to some estimates.

The president approved a reprieve last month around levies

placed on automotive parts, providing auto companies with

credits for up to 15% of the value of vehicles assembled

domestically, as well as relief from other duties.

This month, GM cut its profit forecast and said tariffs were

expected to cost it up to $5 billion.

"Investors have preferred Ford over GM given Ford has a much

higher mix of U.S. sales that are assembled in the U.S.,"

Barclays analysts said in a note, citing Ford's 79% of U.S.

sales assembled in the country versus GM's 53%.

Jeep-maker Stellantis ( STLA ) also suspended its guidance

due to tariff uncertainty.

On top of headwinds from Trump's trade policy, Ford faces

significant losses on its electric vehicles.

The automaker this year projected losses of up to $5.5

billion on its EV and software operations. It has already

sustained more than $10 billion in losses since 2023.

Reuters exclusively reported that Ford ended an expensive

effort to build a next-generation electrical architecture for

its vehicles called FNV4, after delays and mounting expenses

stymied its development.

Ford Pro, the company's profitable commercial vehicle

segment, posted first-quarter revenue of $15.2 billion, down 16%

from a year ago. Ford's gasoline-engine division posted

quarterly revenue of $21 billion. Its Model e division, which

includes software and EV efforts, recorded revenue of $1.2

billion for the three months.