WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Mercedes-Benz manufactures nothing in China for the American market. Its vehicles for US buyers roll off assembly lines in Stuttgart, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and in Kecskemet, Hungary. The Senate Commerce Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to advance legislation that could remove every Mercedes from American showrooms by 2027 regardless, because the Chinese government and Chinese investors together hold nearly a fifth of the company's shares.

The Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, sponsored by Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, cleared the committee without a single dissenting vote. The legislation would prohibit the importation, manufacture, and sale of connected vehic...