On June 3, 2026, the Chinese language website of German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that the German Mercedes-Benz is facing a crisis of sales suspension due to a new bill being deliberated in the U.S. that targets Chinese capital.

The article introduced that the scope of application of the "Automotive Modernization Act of 2026," being deliberated in the U.S. House of Representatives, has been expanded, and provisions to curb influence by "foreign adversarial forces" such as China have been added. It reported that, under the provisions of the new draft, car manufacturers in which adversarial countries directly or indirectly hold more than 15% of shares will not be able to continue production, import, or sales in the United States.

It then explained that this bill is a pioneering initiative aiming to target even multinational corporations with Chinese shareholders for regulation, and pointed out that "theoretically, Mercedes-Benz would also be directly constrained."

The article explained that, regarding Mercedes-Benz shares, China's BAIC Group holds 9.98% and Li Shufu (Li Shufu), founder of Zhejiang Geely HD, holds 9.69%, with the total shareholding reaching 19.67%. It introduced that although the draft contains a provision to exempt manufacturers that have produced cars in the U.S. for at least five years from the restrictions, this exemption would not apply if the manufacturer has a direct or indirect connection to an adversarial country.

Furthermore, it reported that the German automotive magazine "Auto Motor und Sport" covered this issue, stating that Mercedes-Benz, which has built a significant investment record and provided over 11,000 jobs in the U.S., primarily centered around its Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant that started operations in 1997, could face the threat of a sales ban in the U.S.

The article touched upon the movements of the bill's opponents, who emphasize the strong position of the Mercedes brand and the contributions of the Alabama plant, while also indicating that "not all recent decisions by the U.S. government are being made rationally," suggesting that the future is uncertain. (Edited and translated by Kawajiri)