A coalition of major automakers on Thursday urged Congress to pass legislation barring Chinese vehicles, software and hardware from the U.S. market before the end of the year.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Honda, Stellantis and other major automakers, sent a letter to Democratic and Republican leadership of both the House of Representatives and Senate, calling for the ban to be enacted before the 119th Congress concludes on January 3, 2027.
According to the letter, seen by multiple news organizations, Alliance President and CEO John Bozzella wrote that "Chinese automakers are dumping subsidized vehicles with connected software and hardware around the world," adding that while this "hasn't happened inside the US yet," the group is urging lawmakers to act given the scale of the threat.
The Alliance is calling for what it describes as a "permanent ban on the sale, import and manufacture of Chinese connected vehicles, hardware and software" in the United States. In the letter, Bozzella cited China's alleged unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft and pattern of surveillance as justification, and separately warned that Chinese vehicles are capable of "collecting, processing, and transmitting sensitive vehicle and consumer data to the Chinese Communist Party."
The group noted that there is currently not a single Chinese-branded car for sale in the United States, but said Chinese manufacturers are gaining market share in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, Mexico and South America. Companies cited as examples of this expansion include BYD Co. and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd., which are rapidly gaining market share around the world amid sluggish demand and cutthroat pricing in their domestic market.
Bozzella also argued that non-Chinese automakers are unfairly disadvantaged by China's industrial and manufacturing policy, which he said threatens the U.S. automotive manufacturing sector.
The letter echoes a similar plea made by the Alliance and other auto groups in March, reflecting what Bloomberg News described as mounting concerns in the domestic industry about the threat posed by China's automobile makers. As of publication, Congress had not responded publicly to the letter.