Big Three Auto CEOs Invited to Testify Before Congress
Hearing Will Address Surface Transportation Bill
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WASHINGTON — The CEOs of all three Detroit automakers have been invited to publicly testify before Congress on Jan. 14 for the first time in more than 17 years.
The last congressional hearing that featured the top executives of Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV (formerly Chrysler) was in late 2008, when concurrent financial and automotive crises were beginning to crash down on the global, national and Michigan economies.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announced the upcoming meeting Nov. 18 via a press release. Cruz is chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. He said the hearing will be titled "Pedal to the Policy: The Views of the American Auto Industry on the Upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization.”
The hearing, if all invitees attend, will feature testimony from Ford's Jim Farley, GM's Mary Barra and Stellantis' Antonio Filosa. Tesla Inc. Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy was also invited to round out the panel of top U.S. automaker executives.
The hearing will touch on fuel economy regulations, vehicle affordability, a bumpy transition to electric vehicles and more.
CEOs Mary Barra of GM, Jim Farley of Ford and Antonio Filosa of Stellantis. (Barra by AP, Farley by Ford, Filosa by Stellantis)
Commerce Committee Republicans, in a press release, framed the meeting as an opportunity to examine "how radical global warming regulations and mandated technologies have driven up the cost of vehicles for American consumers."
Cruz said in a statement: “Americans have been clear that they are hyper-focused on affordability — and so is this committee. The average price of a car has more than doubled in the past decade, driven up by onerous government-mandated technologies and radical environmental regulations."
The average price of a new vehicle — including light-duty cars and trucks — pushed past $50,000 for the first time in September, according to Cox Automotive. Price tags hovered around $32,500 a decade earlier, per Cox.
Erin Keating, Cox's executive analyst, explained that trend as a mix of factors.
"It is important to remember that the new-vehicle market is inflationary. Prices go up over time, and today’s market is certainly reminding us of that. While there are many affordable options out there, many price-conscious buyers are choosing to stay on the sidelines or cruising in the used-vehicle market," she wrote in anOct. 14 analysis.
Keating continued: "Today’s auto market is being driven by wealthier households who have access to capital, good loan rates and are propping up the higher end of the market. Tariffs have introduced new cost pressure to the business, but the pricing story in September was mostly driven by the healthy mix of EVs and higher-end vehicles pushing the new-vehicle (average transaction price) into uncharted territory."
Cruz suggested that Republicans, since they gained control of Washington earlier this year, have pulled policy levers to bring prices down.
New: announces Detroit 3 CEOs hearing reported earlier by — David Shepardson (@davidshepardson)
"The One Big Beautiful Bill Act took crucial steps to drive costs down with the repeal of the EV mandate and (corporate average fuel economy) standards, but we must do more," he said. "This hearing will examine how government interference continues to make vehicles expensive and out of reach for American customers and how we can restore competition and choice.”
The January session could give Republican and Democratic lawmakers a rare chance to ask executives of the country's largest retail business sector about company plans and how federal policymaking affects them. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), sits on the committee, as does Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio).
The freshman lawmaker from the Buckeye State, who has been influential in automotive policymaking this year, previously amassed a personal fortune running and selling car dealerships.
The meeting will also come as negotiations ramp up over a mandatory review of the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. The countries must agree to a renewal by July 1 or reach alternative arrangements. If they do not, the key regional trade deal will lapse.
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Automakers have urgedTrump and lawmakers in Congress to renew the deal, citing decades of business integration across North America.
Even though it has been a generation since the Detroit Three sent all three of their CEOs to publicly speak with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the automakers have been active in Washington.
Company executiveslobbied Trump directlyon tariffs earlier this year andvisited him at the White House in 2017during the Republican president's first term.
