U.S. LEGAL NEWS
NOVEMBER 20, 2020 4:43 PM UPDATED 15 MINUTES AGO

Auto group sues to block Massachusetts vehicle data initiative

By David Shepardson, Tina Bellon
3 MIN READ

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A group representing General Motors Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen AG and other major automakers filed suit on Friday to block a Massachusetts state ballot initiative that seeks to dramatically expand access to vehicle data.

Earlier this month, voters in Massachusetts overwhelmingly approved an initiative to revise the state’s 2013 “Right to Repair” law to require automakers to provide expanded access to mechanical and electronic repair data and allow independent shops to repair increasingly sophisticated technology.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation trade group said if the law takes effect “years of manufacturers’ work and billions of dollars in investment to protect and secure vehicle data will effectively be obliterated.”

The court battle may help determine who will control the $390 billion U.S. auto data aftermarket in the digital age. The auto group asked a U.S. district court judge in Boston to block the law, which is set to take effect in the 2022 model year. The Massachusetts attorney general’s office declined to comment.

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