A New Twist: California Bans Gov. Purchasing of Most Auto Brands
Just when you thought the gas war couldn’t get any wilder, California has announced it will ban the purchase of any vehicle manufactured by a company that doesn’t explicitly recognize the state’s ability to set its own emission regulations.
Starting in January, California plans to purchase any-and-all government fleet vehicles from only Ford, Honda, BMW, and Volkswagen Group — companies that backed a voluntary agreement to adhere to the state’s emission rules over the summer. The pact is now the subject of a federal antitrust probe.
Any automaker publicly supporting a single national standard (or having recently expressed support for the Trump administration’s fuel rollback proposal) will be deemed ineligible for fleet consideration. “Car makers that have chosen to be on the wrong side of history will be on the losing end of California’s buying power,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
California also said it would no longer allow state agencies to purchase sedans powered by internal combustion engines, effective immediately. Minor exceptions would be made for some safety vehicles, but the rest will be electrified (or at least hybridized).
Unless you count the handful of BMW i3s Los Angeles purchased for its police department ( which reportedly sit idle) and a bevy of BMW police motorcycles, California doesn’t have much of a history with European products. Automotive News reports that the state purchased $69.2 million in vehicles from Ford and $565,000 from Honda in the three years leading up to 2019.
From Automotive News:
Between 2016 and 2018, California purchased $58.6 million in vehicles from General Motors, $55.8 million from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles $10.6 million from Toyota Motor Corp. and $9 million from Nissan Motor Co .
Last month, GM, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler and members of the Global Automakers trade association backed the Trump administration’s effort to bar California from setting tailpipe standards, which are more rigid than Washington’s proposed national standards.
The automakers declined or did not immediately comment on California’s announced ban on purchases of their vehicles.
They’re likely waiting to see what the final rollback proposal looks like, but we’ve all been waiting while California continues amassing strength. Several lawsuits have emerged against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, aimed at maintaining California’s regulatory sovereignty, and the state has allied itself with 13 others that have each agreed to its tailpipe emissions.
[Image: Beach Media/Shutterstock]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
More by Matt Posky
Comments
Join the conversation
If I was an idiot who wanted to reduce ICE emissions, I'd ban efficient ICE sedans as well. That way, departments can buy inefficient SUVs instead..... And if I was a scumbag, I'd make up all manners of weird excuses for why taxpayers should pay triple for me to drive a BMW, or a Tesla, instead of a lowest bidder Chevy. Of course, being an idiot and proud of it, I'd also make sure there would be exactly zero competition for pickup trucks, service bodies or any other truck larger than a Ridgeline, by banning anyone else who builds them, from competing with Ford. That way, Ford can charge taxpayers whatever the heck they want. And I can preen around flaunting how big of an idiot I am! To cheers from well indoctrinated, progressive even-bigger-idiots everywhere!
I support California's ability to set its own CARB standards. I support the notion that a state should be able to have some say in fleet purchasing guidelines (eg, vehicles built in the USA, only certain trim levels, etc.). From the governor's comments though, this is clearly not motivated by the best interests of Californians, it's clearly political and retaliatory in nature. That's where it becomes a bridge too far, in my mind.