Latest news with #JohnBozzella
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Automakers urge U.S. to accelerate self-driving car regulations
Major automakers want Congress and the Trump administration to move faster to make it easier to deploy autonomous vehicles without human controls as new robotaxi tests expand. Congress has been divided for years about whether to pass legislation to address deployment hurdles, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not moved quickly to rewrite safety rules or allow exemptions for up to 2,500 vehicles without human controls annually and ease other hurdles. "The auto industry wants, it needs a functioning and effective auto safety regulator. We don't have that today," said Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on Thursday. "The agency isn't nimble. Rulemakings take too long if they come at all." Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association Director Jeff Farrah urged Congress to pass long-stalled nationwide legislation to allow the United States to globally lead on AVs as China moves aggressively in the field. "Right now we are fighting with one hand tied behind our back," Farrah said. Companies have pushed for more action for years. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in April that a new department framework to boost autonomous vehicles would help U.S. automakers compete with Chinese rivals. Earlier this month, NHTSA said it would speed reviews of requests from automakers to deploy self-driving vehicles without required human controls like steering wheels, brake pedals or mirrors. Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, a Democrat, cited reports showing NHTSA has lost as much as 35% of its expert staff this year through layoffs and other exits, which puts the ability of the agency to function at risk. NHTSA said "significantly fewer people have left" than Pallone suggested and that it remains "staffed to continue to conduct all safety- and mission-critical work" and is boosting its Office of Autonomous Safety. Meanwhile, U.S. traffic deaths remain sharply above pre-COVID levels. Despite falling 3.8% in 2024 to 39,345, they are still significantly higher than the 36,355 killed in 2019 and double the average rate of other high-income countries. "NHTSA is failing to meet the moment," Insurance Institute for Highway Safety President David Harkey told lawmakers. "In recent years, it has approached its job with a lack of urgency, using flawed methodologies that underestimate the safety benefits of obviously beneficial interventions," he said. NHTSA routinely fails to write regulations even when directed by Congress and has often gone years without a Senate-confirmed leader.
TimesLIVE
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Carmakers want US to move faster on self-driving car rules
Major carmakers want Congress and US President Donald Trump's administration to move faster to make it easier to deploy autonomous vehicles without human controls as new robotaxi tests expand. Congress has been divided for years about whether to pass legislation to address deployment hurdles, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not moved quickly to rewrite safety rules or allow exemptions for up to 2,500 vehicles without human controls annually and ease other hurdles. "The auto industry needs a functioning and effective auto safety regulator. We don't have that," Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella said at a US House of Representatives hearing on Thursday. "The agency isn't nimble. Rulemakings take too long if they come at all." Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association director Jeff Farrah urged Congress to pass long-stalled nationwide legislation to allow the US to globally lead on AVs as China moves aggressively in the field. "We are fighting with one hand tied behind our back," Farrah said. Companies have pushed for more action for years. US transportation secretary Sean Duffy said in April a new department framework to boost autonomous vehicles would help US carmakers compete with Chinese rivals.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Automakers want US to move faster on self-driving car rules
Major automakers want Congress and the Trump administration to move faster to make it easier to deploy autonomous vehicles without human controls as new robotaxi tests expand. Congress has been divided for years about whether to pass legislation to address deployment hurdles, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not moved quickly to rewrite safety rules or allow exemptions for up to 2,500 vehicles without human controls annually and ease other hurdles. "The auto industry wants, it needs a functioning and effective auto safety regulator. We don't have that today," said Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on Thursday. "The agency isn't nimble. Rulemakings take too long if they come at all." Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association Director Jeff Farrah urged Congress to pass long-stalled nationwide legislation to allow the United States to globally lead on AVs as China moves aggressively in the field. "Right now we are fighting with one hand tied behind our back," Farrah said. Companies have pushed for more action for years. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in April that a new department framework to boost autonomous vehicles would help U.S. automakers compete with Chinese rivals. Earlier this month, NHTSA said it would speed reviews of requests from automakers to deploy self-driving vehicles without required human controls like steering wheels, brake pedals or mirrors. Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, a Democrat, cited reports showing NHTSA has lost as much as 35% of its expert staff this year through layoffs and other exits, which puts the ability of the agency to function at risk. NHTSA said "significantly fewer people have left" than Pallone suggested and that it remains "staffed to continue to conduct all safety- and mission-critical work" and is boosting its Office of Autonomous Safety. Meanwhile, U.S. traffic deaths remain sharply above pre-COVID levels. Despite falling 3.8% in 2024 to 39,345, they are still significantly higher than the 36,355 killed in 2019 and double the average rate of other high-income countries. "NHTSA is failing to meet the moment," Insurance Institute for Highway Safety President David Harkey told lawmakers. "In recent years, it has approached its job with a lack of urgency, using flawed methodologies that underestimate the safety benefits of obviously beneficial interventions," he said. NHTSA routinely fails to write regulations even when directed by Congress and has often gone years without a Senate-confirmed leader.
TimesLIVE
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Trump to sign resolutions nixing California's EV rules
The signing is a win for General Motors, Toyota, car dealers and other carmakers that heavily lobbied against the rules, and a blow to California and environmental groups that said the requirements are essential to ensuring cleaner vehicles and cutting pollution. California announced a plan in 2020 to require that by 2035 at least 80% of new cars sold be electric and up to 20% plug-in hybrid models. California governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to challenge the repeals in court, saying the action by Congress is illegal and would cost California taxpayers an estimated $45bn (R796bn) in additional health care costs. Since 1970, California has received more than 100 waivers under the Clean Air Act. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing GM, Toyota, Volkswagen Hyundai Stellantis and others, previously praised the repeal. "The fact is the EV sales mandates were never achievable," the group's CEO, John Bozzella, said. "In reality, meeting the mandates would require diverting finite capital from the EV transition to purchase compliance credits from Tesla." These are the latest actions in recent months taking aim at electric vehicles. A separate bill passed by the US House of Representatives in May would end a $7,500 (R132,604) tax credit for new EVs, impose a new $250 (R4,420) annual fee on EVs for road repair costs and repeal vehicle emissions rules designed to prod carmakers into building more EVs. It would also phase out EV battery production tax credits in 2028.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Shortage of Rare-Earth Magnets Endangers US Vehicle Production
Top global auto executives are warning of an imminent shortage of rare-earth magnets from China, essential components in systems like windshield wipers and anti-lock brakes, which could lead to U.S. car plant shutdowns within a previously undisclosed letter dated May 9 to the Trump administration, the head of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents General Motors Company GM, Ford Motor Company F, Volkswagen AG VWAGY, and major automakers, raised alarm over the shortage of rare-earth magnets from the letter, without consistent access to these elements and magnets, auto suppliers would be unable to manufacture vital automotive parts such as transmissions, throttle bodies, alternators, sensors, motors, lights, seat belts, power steering systems, speakers and cameras. Losing access to these critical components would soon disrupt U.S. vehicle production. Per Alliance CEO John Bozzella, the matter was discussed during Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer's recent meetings with Chinese officials in Geneva. Per Greer, while China had agreed to ease export restrictions, it was not moving swiftly enough to restore access for key U.S. industries. China, which controls more than 90% of global processing for these magnets, used in everything from vehicles and military aircraft to household electronics, had introduced new rules in April requiring exporters to secure licenses from Beijing. Exports of rare-earth magnets from China dropped by half in April as companies struggled with a complicated and unclear permit application process, which can require hundreds of pages of Donald Trump, in a social media post, accused China of breaking the terms of a recent agreement meant to ease tariffs and trade restrictions. In response, China's embassy in Washington claimed it was the United States, not China, that was misusing export controls, particularly in the semiconductor industry.A U.S. official familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the Geneva talks only addressed tariffs and China's non-tariff trade measures, not U.S. export controls. Per the official, China was slow to deliver on its promise to issue export licenses for rare-earth materials. This delay could prompt retaliatory actions from Washington if U.S. automakers, already at risk due to the shortage, are forced to halt far, only a few licenses have been approved, including for some Volkswagen suppliers. Meanwhile, Indian car manufacturers reported they haven't received any permits and may have to shut down production as early as June. For automakers and their investors, the rare-earth shortage poses an immediate and serious threat. With most factories relying on just-in-time inventory systems, any disruption in supply could throw off production schedules this quarter and delay the rollout of both electric and gasoline mitigate the risk, car manufacturers are racing to diversify and localize their supply chains. General Motors has invested in a magnet production facility in Texas that uses materials from the Mountain Pass mine in California. Meanwhile, Volkswagen has reportedly secured magnet supplier licenses in Europe. China's restrictions on rare earth magnet exports are widely viewed as a retaliatory move in response to new U.S. tariff impacts are already expected to slash U.S. auto sales by around 500,000 vehicles, which would likely hurt automakers' sales and earnings in the near term. General Motors has already trimmed its 2025 guidance due to macroeconomic uncertainty and potential new U.S. auto tariffs. Ford, on the other hand, has suspended its full-year 2025 guidance, warning that Trump-era tariffs could cost the company up to $2.5 billion. While Ford aims to offset $1 billion of this through strategic actions, the remaining $1.5 billion, expected to hit in 2025, remains a major Ford & Volkswagen carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) each, GM has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ford Motor Company (F) : Free Stock Analysis Report General Motors Company (GM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Volkswagen AG Unsponsored ADR (VWAGY) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
