Mercedes-Benz may be shut out of U.S. market under bill aimed at Chinese automaker ownership
Posted by Lighthouse_seek@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 70 comments
Torczyner@reddit
Oh how the turn tables
We lost out on so many great cars because of them. I'm still mad about it.
HiTork@reddit
Prior to this, there were a crap load of grey imports going into the US. The primary reason why Benz backed this was they were finding people were importing non-USDM versions of their cars from importers not affiliated with their company. These were vehicles that were usually more powerful, such as EUDM vehicles because they weren't hampered by emissions equipment. Since these cars weren't sold directly by Benz, they were losing profits in the US to these importers, and they couldn't just up the power on their cars because of US emissions standards. Thus, the ban put an end to these grey imports, unless they are 25 years old.
hawkeyes007@reddit
Why would cars that can’t meet US standards ever be sold in the US?
r00000000@reddit
They could just recognize other countries' safety standards are just as good but this is the kind of policy that reeks of protectionism so that non-US cars get locked out of the country or manufacturers have to make US versions of cars (in the US) bc some of the US safety standards are nonsensical. Like you guys don't have mandatory DRLs and the stupid brake light size policy that allows turn signals and brake lights to share the same red lights which is obviously worse than the European standard.
Upstairs_Chris@reddit
If I was elected president, mandating separate red brake and amber blinkers is easily a day 1 hour 1 executive order.
It drives me wild.
Sandy_Koufax@reddit
The EU doesn’t recognize our standards. Why would we recognize theirs?
durrtyurr@reddit
Canada ended up with some eastern bloc cars (Lada and Skoda) due to an agreement with West Germany to recognize their standards. Canada has extremely similar standards to the USA, and they thought that it was acceptable. There is absolutely precedent for this. Ideally everything would be standardized worldwide, but there is too much protectionism going on for that to be viable at the moment.
Jmauld@reddit
This is dumb af.
Quaiche@reddit
US standards are insanely bad.
I always chuckle at the idea of having to deal with indicators being red on a daily basis, there's probably quite a few of accidents that have happened because of that profoundly stupid feature.
Sandy_Koufax@reddit
Indicators are to request permission or to let vehicles who are not a threat to know your intentions. They’re not meant as some kind of cheat code to let you merge into traffic.
aldsar@reddit
I'm informing the people around me what I'm doing. I'm not asking to be let in, I'm telling them I'm coming in and they can deal with it. Signed, a new Yorker.
Quaiche@reddit
https://www.samslarkinhuff.com/blog/2020/08/how-red-turn-signals-put-drivers-in-danger/
Now bugger off.
Sandy_Koufax@reddit
Wow! A website from a plaintiff’s law firm! Thank you for that!
Quaiche@reddit
You see the cool thing about lawyers is that they usually tend to BACK THEIR CLAIMS.
My link used a study done by the NHTSA, an American agency, as source.
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/811115
It says cars without amber blinkers tend to get rear ended more often so it's a well known fact by the US automotive agencies that red blinkers are dangerous and must disappear but it hasn't happened for obvious reasons (because your country values the capacity to make money over the lifes of people, I thought i had to state the obvious because you are you.).
I'm sorry but could you actually genuinely bugger off this time instead of displaying your low intelligence ?
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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ManufacturerBest2758@reddit
Imagine not understanding the blinking thing is a turn signal just because it’s a slightly different hue
Quaiche@reddit
https://www.samslarkinhuff.com/blog/2020/08/how-red-turn-signals-put-drivers-in-danger/
Now bugger off.
ManufacturerBest2758@reddit
>bugger off
Euro detected, opinion rejected
verdegrrl@reddit
No insults. Thanks.
verdegrrl@reddit
No insults. Thanks.
cat_prophecy@reddit
Because safety and emissions regulations in the rest of the world are just as good or better than in the US.
Available_Diver7878@reddit
Safety standards are higher in the US than the EU for actual vehicle occupants
Sandy_Koufax@reddit
Can you stop with this narrative? We are here to jerk.
ManufacturerBest2758@reddit
US passenger safety standards are easily the most strict in the world
FiddlerOnThePotato@reddit
The EU has looser standards for certain emissions including nitrous oxide emissions
icecream_specialist@reddit
Not in rest of the world. In many other parts of the world.
nekmatu@reddit
Stupidest fucking law.
809kid@reddit
Yup, we could have had Skylines in the US if it wasn't for bitch ass Mercedes
LuigiSauce@reddit
infiniti g35?????
LOL_YOUMAD@reddit
Same, it would be kind of funny to see something hit them back
aPerson39001C9@reddit
They have like 1.5% market share in USA anyways.
Some_Conference2091@reddit
Mercedes Benz sold 303k cars, and 40k trucks in 2025. They rank 3 in luxury sales, outsells Lincoln and Cadillac.
aPerson39001C9@reddit
Umm okay. But 343,000 units of 15 million new vehicles = 0.02286 or 2.29%.
Some_Conference2091@reddit
Luxury car market ≠ 15M
$30k Hyundai & Subaru don't compete with $100k Mercedes-Benz or $200k Maybach. Luxury cars: low volume, high price. Higher per unit profit.
It's an important and profitable segment that employs many people in the US.
aPerson39001C9@reddit
They make cars. The 15 million includes all types of vehicles. Also $80k+ pickups from the Big 3 compete with luxury makes.
Some_Conference2091@reddit
Nope. Somebody looking at am E350 or AMG GLC isn't going to decide to buy an F-350 instead. It's a different market segment with virtually zero crossover.
aPerson39001C9@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/wsmo8r/who_buys_the_superexpensive_pickup_trucks/
DaBanninator@reddit
MBUSA employs 13,000 Americans, not including those working at franchise dealers and suppliers.
mustangfan12@reddit
I don't think congress will get Mercedes banned, they are way too big of a brand to ban in the USA.
bigev007@reddit
Plus it would then ban Daimler Trucks, owned by Merc and SAIC. That's Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas, and Detroit Diesel.
If it covers Volvo, that's Volvo, Prevost, Mack, Nova Bus....
r00000000@reddit
Ye the bill seems like it could cause issues in the future too so I doubt it passes as-is but given the Tiktok example, I could see some version of this passing that doesn't affect MB but maybe Volvo.
RiftHunter4@reddit
This smells like BS to me. "We're banning companies with ties to China. Well, except for our favorites."
_bfmc@reddit
Just another opportunity for cronies to line their wallets with bribe money for “bypass authorizations”
CUvinny@reddit
Whole things seems silly, they aren't going to ban manufactures with plants in USA. Both Volvo and Merc build cars in South Carolina.
durrtyurr@reddit
Don't forget that Mercedes owns Freightliner. The largest producer of Semi trucks in the USA.
csimonson@reddit
Volvo is up there too, massive amount of Volvo semi trucks in the US. They are made in the Carolinas (I forget which)
durrtyurr@reddit
Volvo trucks are actually a separate business from Volvo cars. Similar to Saab cars (RIP, my cousin's first car was a 9-3 'vert) and Saab airplanes.
DD3566@reddit
Volvo trucks is what’s left of the “original” Volvo before Volvo Cars got sold to Ford back in 1999. Fun fact, Volvo trucks also entirely own Renault Trucks…
nekmatu@reddit
All that freedom….for lobbyists to stifle competition and consumer advantage.
cookingboy@reddit
Oh the irony of the name of that bill lmao.
China should just retaliate and ban Tesla, GM and Ford.
Nerdenator@reddit
Considering the Chinese wouldn’t allow foreign automakers access to their market without partnering with a local company for decades, I’d just say turnabout is fair play.
cookingboy@reddit
This bill is literally banning joint ventures.
Also that Chinese rule has stopped since 2018. For example Tesla owns their operation 100% in China.
FMecha@reddit
Unrelated to Mercedes-Benz issue, I damn called it about attempts to block Chinese carmarkers from having American factories.
JMccovery@reddit
I wonder how the people at the MB plant in Vance would feel about this.
TL_Swaggy@reddit
A little nervous tbh. I’ve recently purchased a home and all that jazz. If the plant shuts down I’d be pretty screwed after my cushion runs out.
costafilh0@reddit
Nah. They will just receive an exception.
KingMario05@reddit
Mercedes will grumble and pay whatever fines/bribes they need to get their name on the exempt list. Get ready for the feds to be driving brand new GLEs when they detain your neighbors - made in Alabama, of course.
No way will they be banned. Bama voted for this, after all. But there will be a price extracted from the Silver Star in exchange for the exemption.
TopoChico-TwistOLime@reddit
They build cars here
Gloomy_Yoghurt_2836@reddit
They will have to shut down under this legislation. Any automakers with 15% or more ownership will be banned from importing or manufacturing in the US. Mercedes biggest shareholder is a company owned by the Chinese government so it will be banned from operating factories here. 10K workers will not have jobs. The government condiderscChina a national security threat.
KingMario05@reddit
So much winning
/s
TopoChico-TwistOLime@reddit
Crazy
Black_Raven_2024@reddit
Didn’t it say the Chinese company has a 9.98% share?
Quick_Coyote_7649@reddit
I’m sure adjustments of sorts will be made to prevent that, assuming the bill even gets passed. U.S. based brands need to actually improve their cars so they can be more competitive to China based cars instead of trying to bar China based cars from being sold in the U.S.
Affalt@reddit
Mercedes-Benz corp is 10% Chinese-owned. China's State-owned Chinese automaker BAIC, formerly the Beijing Automotive Industrial Corp., holds a 9.98% share.
Averyphotog@reddit
This is 100% about grifting. Nothing to see here.
impulsivetech@reddit
How will Volvo stay in with geely ownership?
Trades46@reddit
US protectionist policies becoming ever more silly by the day.
Gloomy_Yoghurt_2836@reddit
What happens when Ford or GM shares are bought by a rival nation and the government shuts them down?
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