Cybersecurity Policy Report, Citing Cyber Risks, Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Ban Chinese Connected Cars, (Apr 30, 2026)
A bipartisan Senate bill would ban imports of connected cars from China to prevent the Chinese government from exploiting data collected from U.S. drivers and roadways.
The Connected Vehicle Security Act (S.B. 4429, 119th Cong. (2026)) was introduced yesterday by Sens. Bernie Moreno (R., Ohio) and Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.).
“Connected vehicles incorporate advanced information and communications technologies that collect, process, and transmit vast amounts of sensitive data, including geolocation, operational, and personal information, and are capable of being remotely accessed and controlled,” according to the bill.
Imports of connected cars and automotive software from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia would be banned beginning Jan. 1, 2027, under the bill. A ban on automotive hardware imports from those nations would kick in on Jan. 1, 2030.
“Connected Vehicles are able to collect massive amounts of data. Equipped with internet access and wireless technologies, they can track your location, driving patterns, personal information, and even map the infrastructure around you. If Chinese companies like BYD and Geely control this technology inside of vehicles within the U.S., that data can freely flow back to Beijing. Under China’s national intelligence laws, this sensitive information can be exploited for espionage, surveillance, or worse: remote takeover of vehicles on American roads,” Sens. Moreno and Slotkin said in a fact sheet.
“Chinese cars are a serious threat to America’s national security and Michigan’s economic security,” Sen. Slotkin said in a news release. “Chinese cars are surveillance packages on wheels, with the ability to collect on American citizens and sensitive sites.”
The bill was endorsed by General Motors Co. and the United Auto Workers, which cited the need to protect the U.S. auto industry from cheap foreign imports.
“The American auto industry is the backbone of the American industrial economy, [and] we cannot afford to make the same mistakes globalists have made for decades and see these great American companies devastated by predatory and massively subsidized Chinese state enterprises hellbent on the destruction of our economy,” Sen. Moreno said. “As Europe, Mexico, and others allow their markets to be overrun by Chinese predators, the U.S. must act before it’s too late.”
The Commerce Department has already enacted an import ban that begins next year on vehicles and vehicle technology from adversarial foreign nations using its authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and a 2019 presidential order directing it to secure information and communications technology and services supply chains (CPR, Jan. 14, 2025).
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