- US Congress wants existing barriers to Chinese auto brands toughened and made permanent. - Tech firm-turned-automaker Xiaomi plans European sales to start in 2027. - Canada already allows Chinese cars, can accept another 33,397 under latest quota period. Chinese automakers haven’t cracked the US yet, and the companies already selling cars there would like to keep it that way. A group representing most major automakers wants Congress to turn today’s regulatory barriers into a permanent ban before lawmakers finish their current session. Related: Canada Opens The Door To 33,397 More Chinese Vehicles The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents the vast majority of companies selling vehicles in the States and counts GM, Ford, Toyota, BMW, Hyundai, Honda, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Kia, and Volvo among its members, has written to congressional leaders asking them to ban Chinese connected vehicles along with the hardware and software that goes with them. The group wants legislation passed before the current Congress wraps up on January 3. Tariffs Aren’t Enough Chinese cars are already effectively locked out by hefty tariffs as well as restrictions targeting connected-vehicle technology linked to China, which are forcing Polestar to pull out of the US. But automakers are worried those defenses could change, so they’d rather Congress put something more permanent on the books. “Right now, Chinese automakers are dumping subsidized vehicles with connected software and hardware around the world,” Alliance CEO John Bozzella wrote in the letter to Congress. He urged lawmakers to act before adjourning, citing what the group sees as both economic and national security risks. “China is capturing market share in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, Mexico and South America with vehicles capable of collecting, processing and transmitting sensitive vehicle and consumer data to the Chinese Communist Party,” Bozzella added. But one proposal that advanced through a