After a lengthy campaign supported by the automotive aftermarket and the “Your Car. Your Data. Your Choice.” campaign, on election day, Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly voiced their support at the ballot box for Ballot Question 1, an updated version of the Right to Repair act, which will preserve the right of vehicle owners to have access to and control of their vehicle’s mechanical data necessary for service and repair at the shops of their choice.
Following this news, the Auto Care Association today has reported that vehicle automakers, under the banner of the “Alliance for Automotive Innovation,” have filed suit to stop the bill from being put into motion, despite its passage by an overwhelming majority of Massachusetts voters.
Bill Hanvey, president and CEO of the Auto Care Association, issued the following response today:
“On Nov. 3, the citizens of Massachusetts made their voices loud and clear on the issue of vehicle data access, with an overwhelming 75% of voters supporting ballot Question 1. Unfortunately, the vehicle manufacturers are once again ignoring the will of the people and have instead chosen to pursue legal action against the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in an effort to halt the implementation of Question 1. The Auto Care Association is very disappointed to see this pattern of behavior from the vehicle manufacturers against the American people, who want the right to control their vehicle mechanical data and to share it with their independent repair shops.
“Over the last several years, the Auto Care Association has joined with cyber security experts to develop international standards that could be readily implemented and will permit the cyber-secure sharing of data. Further, we have offered to work with the manufacturers to adopt these standards in order to ensure competition for their customers. However, instead of working to find common ground, the manufacturers have continued to engage in a scare campaign regarding access to wireless mechanical data, aimed first at voters and now the courts. Just like Massachusetts voters, we trust that the courts will see through the manufacturers’ scare tactics and will throw out this baseless lawsuit.”
For questions or more information, contact Aaron Lowe, senior vice president, regulatory and government affairs, Auto Care Association, at [email protected].