Senate Committee to challenge auto-safety mandates, WSJ reports

Lawmakers will take aim at vehicle-safety mandates in a coming Senate hearing, targeting a swath of auto-industry regulations once considered too sacrosanct to attack, The Wall Street Journal’s Sharon Terlep reports. Senate Republicans in January plan to criticize requirements for safety technology, such as automatic emergency braking and alarms to remind drivers that a child is in the back seat, arguing they are ineffective and will unnecessarily drive up the cost of cars, according to people familiar with the situation. CEOs of Detroit’s three automakers and a senior Tesla (TSLA) executive have been summoned to appear at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation – set for Jan. 14 – to explain why vehicles have become so expensive. General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) are weighing whether to send their CEOs to the hearing, spokespeople said; Stellantis (STLA) declined to comment, the author notes.