THE U.S.--JAPAN TRADE SHOWDOWN : At One Dealership, It’s Not Quite Business as Usual : Autos: A Santa Monica Infiniti outlet vows to stand by customers and employees, but they’re still nervous.

An open letter from Infiniti--assuring owners and would-be car buyers that the luxury car maker will stand by them--is posted in the employee room at Infiniti of Santa Monica. On Sunday afternoon, it was the only outward sign that a trade war with Japan could be near.

A handful of customers browsed the showroom, workers routinely hosed down cars for delivery to their new owners, and sales personnel worked the phones, trying to nail down deals as usual.

At this dealership, the largest Infiniti outlet in California, employees have prepared themselves for the worst with the same mantra they repeat to customers: Infiniti has invested too much in the American market to abandon those who rely on the auto maker.

But lately it’s been hard to do business as usual. For more than a month, dealers of Japanese luxury cars have been operating under the threat that the U.S. government will impose 100% tariffs on 13 imported models if a trade agreement is not reached by Wednesday.

“We’re all very concerned,” Fleet Sales Manager Joseph Clapsaddle said. “Not a day goes by that we don’t think about it. We read the news voraciously. We know our jobs are in jeopardy.” He called the mood one of “subtle apprehension.”

Some customers express concern. One asked if he could get service guarantees in writing, Clapsaddle said. Other customers are cautious but undeterred.

Rick Allen of Venice was checking out the Infiniti line on Sunday, bemused that a trade dispute could affect him so directly.

“I wish they’d resolve this thing so I can buy a car,” Allen said. “We’re just regular people, and it’s pretty amazing that we may be affected by this cockamamie trade war.”

Nissan, the troubled Japanese auto maker, and its Infiniti division have gone to great lengths to reassure employees that they will be taken care of. That is generally understood to mean the company will absorb any tariffs, enabling dealers to keep selling cars at current prices.

As evidence that jobs will be protected, general sales manager Elysiann Lewis points to Infiniti commercials filmed Saturday in Santa Monica. The spots will air at the end of the week if negotiations fail to avert the trade sanctions.

The commercials depict scenes “before the trade war” and “after the trade war,” and show the same employees of the dealership in each, implying that Infiniti will continue to support its workers.

Employees at Infiniti of Santa Monica may have more options than others. As part of the 32-dealership Southern California Auto Group, which sells both foreign and domestic cars and employs 1,000, the dealership could transfer employees to other locations in a worst-case scenario.

Employees appear intensely loyal and seem to believe that the corporation and the dealership will support them. Owner Jerry Heuer has called each employee individually to reassure them about their jobs.

Indeed, employees and managers alike say that the threat of trade sanctions has had a positive effect, strengthening relationships between dealers and the corporation, among dealers, and among employees.

“You keep focused on your job as it is right now. I’m very loyal to the company,” sales consultant Tom Gibson said. “If the Japanese auto makers pull out of the market, which I don’t think they will, I believe I’ll be relocated to another store.”

Miguel Almaguer, the head porter, paused as he hosed down a black Infiniti and said of Heuer, his employer of 13 years: “I know if he says, ‘I’m going to help you,’ he will.”

Still, uneasiness bubbles beneath the daily routines. “We talk about it, all the guys,” Almaguer said. “The new guys, they don’t say it, but I think they’re scared.”

But for many employees, this threat to their livelihoods has been a first-ever call to political action. Sales consultant Randy Sanchez called his Congressman for the first time. “I felt like I needed to participate. I’m not just going to sit back and let things happen without making an effort,” he said.

A dozen employees represented the dealership at a rally at the Los Angeles Convention Center., Sales consultant Gibson said, “I felt like a rebel.”