Senators Slotkin and Moreno introduced the Connected Vehicle Security Act last week. Bipartisan, backed by GM and the UAW, Honda expressing support. On the surface this is a big deal. In practice I have seen a lot of legislative energy around Chinese vehicles that never actually closes the door. The real test is what happens with Stellantis and Leapmotor expanding their European manufacturing partnership, because that is the workaround. Chinese-designed, European-assembled, imported without the tariff exposure. If the legislation only covers direct Chinese imports and not Chinese-designed vehicles built offshore, the protection is a lot narrower than the press release suggests. That detail matters a lot for what we are actually protecting.
- Home
- Forums
- OEMs
- General Forum
- Chinese car ban legislation real this time?
The name of the bill is…
The name of the bill is worth paying attention to. The Connected Vehicle Security Act is framed around data and cybersecurity, not vehicle economics or fair trade. That framing is deliberate and it gives legislators cover to support it without being seen as protectionist, but it also means the scope is narrower than a straight import ban. It targets the software and connectivity stack in Chinese-linked vehicles, not the vehicle itself. That distinction matters enormously for enforcement and for the offshore manufacturing workaround the original post flags. A car assembled in Europe with a clean connectivity architecture may clear the bar entirely even with Chinese ownership behind it.
Add new comment