US moves to block all Chinese auto imports through software crackdown
An employee cleans a BYD during 2024 Wuhan International Auto Show. | Photo by Wang HE / Getty Images
The Biden administration proposed new rules blocking the “sale or import” of connected vehicle software originating from “countries of concern,” a move that would effectively ban all auto imports in the US from China.
Vehicles with hardware and software from China pose an “acute” threat to the US’s national security, the White House said in a statement. This includes the potential for “sabotage and surveillance, such as remotely disabling a vehicle in the middle of the road.”
The rules would cover anything that connects a vehicle to the outside world, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, and satellite components. It also addresses concerns that technology like cameras, sensors, and onboard computers could be exploited by foreign...