Senate Pushes Permanent Ban on Chinese Connected Vehicles

A bipartisan bill that would permanently bar Chinese connected vehicles from the US market is heading for a Senate vote this week, with 51 co-sponsors already signed on and a House version drawing more than 100 backers.

The Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, introduced in April by Michigan Democrat Elissa Slotkin and Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno, would prohibit the import, manufacture, sale and resale of connected vehicles and related software and hardware linked to China and other foreign adversaries, including through joint ventures.

The legislation would also give the Commerce Department authority to identify and block vehicle technologies, components and transactions deemed a threat to national or economic security, and establish enforcement mechanisms to keep prohibited technologies out of the US market.

The restrictions would be phased in: provisions covering vehicles and software would take effect in 2027, followed by hardware restrictions from 2030.

The bill would make permanent a rule issued by the Biden administration in early 2025 restricting Chinese connected-vehicle technology. Chinese electric vehicles already face US tariffs exceeding 100%.

Slotkin appeared at a press conference on 23 September alongside Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Andy Kim, ahead of President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 24 September.

She set out three priorities she wants Trump to raise with Xi: keeping Chinese vehicles out of the US, halting the sharing of information by Chinese companies with Iran that contributed to the deaths of three US service members, and stopping exports of advanced US chips to China.

A notice sent to Democratic senators' offices said Moreno intended to seek unanimous consent for the bill this week. A congressional aide told Reuters that some Republican senators had voiced concerns, though it remained unclear whether they would formally object.

General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, Stellantis and Tesla urged Trump last week to maintain existing restrictions on Chinese automakers' access to the US market.