Biden Administration Orders Investigation Into Chinese Smart Cars Over Security Concerns

• Biden feels that the growing number of China-made smart cars in the USA is concerning. China is not known for fair practice and might use the cars to steal user information or gain remote access to the cars.
• Ford, General Motors, and Toyota are also in support of this decision and the Department of Commerce is already seeking insights from the public and auto-industry experts on this issue.

Joe Biden has ordered an investigation into smart cars made by Chinese companies. He believes that these cars silently steal information about the American citizens driving them. In his statement, he said that smart cars are just like smartphones on wheels. So countries like China can easily record and transmit user data.

China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices. China's policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security. I'm not going to let that happen on my watch.Joe Biden

The biggest concern is that just like smartphones, smart cars can be hacked too. If you have enough information about the car (which won't be hard to steal), someone sitting in Beijing can completely control its movement.

And not just of one car, but thousands of cars on the street. If they want they can overspeed the cars and ram them into each other. Nothing gets scarier than this.

He further explains that China has already recognized the threat of foreign smart cars in its country and has banned the US and several other countries from selling their smart cars there. So there is no reason that America should still be allowing Chinese smart cars on its streets.

The responsibility to investigate this matter has been placed on the Department of Commerce who said in a statement today that they want to seek public opinion (especially those from the auto industry) on this statement and have already issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM).

The inputs will be used to design necessary regulations to keep the technical prowess of Chinese cars, especially those launched in the US, in check.

Read More: TikTok will now be available in cars, starting with Mercedes Benz

Growing Concerns Over China's Malicious Intentions

This isn't the first time that the president has been concerned over China's intentions. With the increasing number of cyberattacks originating from China, the relationship between the two countries is more strained than ever.

In fact, earlier this week, Biden signed another executive order that's aimed to better protect the personal details of American citizens, especially their health and financial records from countries like China and Russia.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which includes Ford, General Motors, and Toyota among other well-known manufacturers, is also in support of Biden's action.

The good news is that China is yet to gain control over the US's auto market. That's because starting from the Trump administration and continued by the Biden administration, China-imported cars have been imposed with heavy tariffs.

It's unclear how long these tariffs will deter them. After all, China is a major exporter and relies heavily on exports for its economy.

Biden isn't the only one worried about China and its cars. The European Union is also concerned over the increasing imports and has launched an investigation into Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles.

Companies like Ford are also worried about the competition from Chinese makers. After all, they don't play by the rules. For example, last year Tesla sued Xiaomi and took the latter to court for stealing their tech secrets for EV cars.

Perhaps this is the reason why they were able to grow their EV car market share from 0% to 10% in just 2 years in Europe. If this motion goes through, Chinese car manufacturers will lose a huge chunk of the global market.

The post Biden Administration Orders Investigation Into Chinese Smart Cars Over Security Concerns appeared first on The Tech Report.