Automakers Press Congress to Pass a Permanent Ban on Chinese Cars Before the Session Ends
Washington — The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the trade group representing nearly all major automakers selling vehicles in the United States, wrote to congressional leaders on November 2 urging Congress to use next week's brief post-election session to pass legislation permanently barring Chinese vehicles from the U.S. market, and to finish the job before this Congress adjourns for the year. The letter went to House Speaker Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Thune and minority leaders Jeffries and Schumer.
Alliance president and CEO John Bozzella said the United States must protect its home market from a flood of Chinese imports that carry surveillance risk and disadvantage current manufacturers that have made generational investments in American communities. He said Chinese automakers are dumping subsidized vehicles around the world and capturing share in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, Mexico and South America with connected vehicles able to collect, process and transmit sensitive vehicle and consumer data, while conceding that this 'hasn't happened inside the U.S. yet.'
The bipartisan Connected Vehicle Security Act, introduced by Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio and Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, was approved unanimously by the Senate Commerce Committee in July; its sponsors agreed in September to delay a fast-track push until November. A companion measure, the Protecting America from Chinese Cars Act, focuses on trade enforcement, corporate structure and supply-chain loopholes.
Chinese connected vehicles are already restricted under a Commerce Department rule adopted in January 2025: covered software linked to China, Russia and other foreign adversaries is restricted from model year 2027, and covered hardware from model year 2030. Chinese-built electric vehicles also face a 100 percent tariff.
It is not the industry's first letter. Bozzella sent a similar appeal to congressional leaders on September 3, and on September 17 six auto trade groups wrote to President Trump urging his administration to keep policies that prevent Chinese automakers from selling, importing or manufacturing vehicles in the country. Trump told Fox News in September that he would accept Chinese car companies building vehicles inside the United States, a stance that alarmed automakers seeking a hard line. Industry lobbyists worry that if the ban is not passed before this Congress adjourns in December, the window will close.
Source: Alliance for Automotive Innovation
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于美国密歇根州底特律市的通用汽车 Factory ZERO 工厂（2021年资料图）。照片：白宫，公有领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: General Motors' Factory ZERO plant in Detroit, Michigan (2021 file photo). Photo by The White House, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
