Massimo Group is shifting production of its MVR Golf Carts, the company announced on Tuesday, reacting quickly to tariffs on Chinese imports announced recently by the Trump administration.
The company, which makes a range of vehicles from go-karts to pontoon boats, will relocate its golf cart manufacturing operations to its Garland headquarters from abroad. The nearly 400,000-square-foot facility currently produces other product lines for the company.
“Bringing production to our Texas facility strengthens our supply chain, enhances quality assurance, and positions us competitively in the U.S. market,” chief executive officer David Shan said in a statement.
The announcement comes as President Donald Trump moved this week to levy tariffs on steel and aluminum, just over a week after setting a 10% tariff on China, and since-delayed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
Preliminary countervailing duties and antidumping measures were also imposed on low-speed personal transportation vehicle imports from China on Jan. 24, following a Department of Commerce investigation initiated in the summer.
Massimo’s release specifically references these fees — which range from 149% to 500% depending on the manufacturer — as a reason for the manufacturing move.
“By shifting production to the U.S., Massimo is proactively addressing these trade challenges while reinforcing its commitment to high manufacturing standards,” it said in a release.
While Massimo did not specify that its MVR Golf Cart line was previously made in China, customs and trade data aggregated by ImportGenius indicate Massimo’s top trading partners are all in China.
In a previous announcement, the company said it imports most of its inventory to Garland to be assembled, accessorized and inspected.
With geopolitical tensions rising, a number of companies with international operations have begun “friendshoring,” or shifting production to friendly countries in an effort to blunt potential supply chain disruptions.
In this vein, Massimo also intends to begin seeking “strategic partnerships” in Vietnam to, “diversify [Massimo’s] supply chain and mitigate potential cost increases from tariffs affecting imports from China.”
It is unclear how soon those moves will materialize.
