Polestars says the rule could prevent it from selling the vehicles it builds in South Carolina in America.
Polestar, in a submitted comment to the department, said that the proposed rule as drafted “would effectively prohibit Polestar from selling its cars in the United States.” The automaker highlighted its concerns with the rule’s broad definitions, proposing the agency narrow the scope of the components and systems that would be included in the ban.
Ford echoed similar concerns in its comment about the wording, saying, “That certain language in the proposed rule could be interpreted in an overly broad and unnecessarily expansive manner.” It could prevent automakers that build cars in China from selling them here—like the Lincoln Nautilus, which the Blue Oval builds in the People’s Republic.
Nissan, Hyundai Motor Group, Volkswagen Group of America, Volvo, and Tesla also submitted comments. All proposed the agency better define the scope of the rules and refine the language to improve clarity.
Many also took issue with the proposed timeline. As written, the rule’s software prohibitions would take effect for the 2027 model year, while the hardware restrictions would kick in for 2030. That’s too soon, according to automakers. Usually, they design new products three to five years before production starts.
Besides the Lincoln and Buick SUVs that are imported from China, I would suspect the vast majority of the electronics for cars built outside of China are imported from the Pacific rim, usually the cheapest source. A number of years ago, I had a Chicago built car with a compass built into the instrument cluster. I noticed the direction readout it was giving was several degrees off. Consulting the owner’s manual (many cars no longer come with a printed owner’s manual, apparently too much of a “burden” to provide one), I learned how to set the compass for the zone I live in. The zone it had been set for was the one that includes Japan, which is probably where the module had been built.
So, yes, requiring non-Chinese automakers to source their “connected car” nonsense from other than China is a “burden”, but not anywhere near the “burden” that competing with Chinese autos in the US would be.
Of course, we realize the “JCs” want it both ways: cheap ChiCom parts for them to juice their GP, but no Chinese cars allowed, so they don’t face the price competition.