Volvo wins US approval to import connected cars despite ban

Volvo Cars received word from the US Department of Commerce that it may import connected cars into the United States, even though the government plans a ban on vehicle software with Chinese links starting with model year 2027. The Swedish automaker is partly owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding.

Protectionism in the US auto industry stretches back decades; the scarcity of foreign-built pickup trucks on US roads is still a consequence of the 1964 "chicken tax." More recently, efforts have focused on keeping China out of sensitive vehicle technologies. In 2024, then-President Biden imposed a 100 percent tariff on Chinese imports and the Commerce Department issued a rule barring imports of connected vehicles built by companies owned by or with links to China.

The following year, the incoming Trump administration kept the ban on track: connected-vehicle software would be restricted from model year 2027, with connected vehicle hardware barred from model year 2030.

United States

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