US Senate panel to vote on bill banning Chinese automakers

Key facts

• The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee will vote on legislation to ban Chinese automakers.
• The bill aims to codify an existing Biden administration regulation.
• It would ban automakers with over 15% Chinese ownership from selling vehicles in the U.S.
• Mercedes-Benz, which has nearly 20% Chinese ownership, is lobbying against this provision.

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to vote on Wednesday on bipartisan legislation that would strengthen the existing ban on Chinese automakers selling vehicles in the United States. The proposed bill, introduced in April by Republican Senator Bernie Moreno and Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin, seeks to codify a regulation already in place under the Biden administration.

A key provision of the legislation would prohibit vehicle sales by any automaker that is more than 15% owned by Chinese entities. This threshold would impact companies like Mercedes-Benz, which currently has nearly 20% Chinese ownership. U.S. lawmakers have indicated that Mercedes-Benz is actively lobbying to alter this specific provision.

The legislation aims to further prevent Chinese companies from entering the U.S. light-duty vehicle market.