The Senate Commerce Committee advanced bipartisan legislation Wednesday aimed at toughening a ban on Chinese automakers from the U.S. market, even as Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, warned that it could unintentionally bar Mercedes-Benz
from selling vehicles in the country.
Cruz said during the committee’s markup of the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026 that the bill’s 15% Chinese ownership threshold would cover Mercedes-Benz because two Chinese investors collectively own nearly 20% of its shares.
“We would never consider” banning Mercedes-Benz, Cruz said, adding that the bill would need to be changed before becoming law.
Mercedes-Benz’s two largest individual shareholders are Chinese state-owned automaker BAIC, formerly the Beijing Automotive Industrial Corp., with a 9.98% stake, and Geely founder Li Shufu, with 9.69%.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/22/ted-cruz-china-auto-bill-mercedes-benz-gm.html