The Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI) is a Washington, D.C.–based trade association and lobby group whose members include international car and light duty truck manufacturers that build and sell products in the United States.
A predecessor organization, the Automobile Importers of America (AIA), was formed in 1965[1] to provide member companies information on changes to U.S. state and federal automotive industry regulations.
The AIA evolved into the primary advocacy resource for many major vehicle importers in the 1970s, opposing trade restrictions and other protectionist laws and regulations that adversely impacted its members.
[15] As of August 2023, members included:[17] The AAI represents, advises and advocates for manufacturers of cars and light duty trucks in the United States.
[18] The association helps its members formulate and defend positions against legislation and regulations that make participation in the US market more costly or difficult for automakers.
[22] In December 2020, the Alliance issued a report with eight policy strategies designed to secure US competitiveness in automotive technologies, including incentives for industry R&D and investments in EV charging infrastructure.
[26] It supports the Obama administration's proposed changes to CAFE standards, which would require automakers to improve car mileage by 5 percent annually until 2025, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas pollution.
[29] The AAI also argued that California and other states being granted authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions would force manufacturers to adhere to too many different standards, effectively raising the cost of cars and eliminating model choices.
[33] The association's president, Michael Stanton, stated that its interest was not in resisting such regulation, but ensuring that uniform standards are set by the federal government.
[34] In 2009, the association stated its support for an agreement reached by the Obama administration to adopt a single national standard for fuel economy, which led to outstanding lawsuits being dropped.
The association and other plaintiffs requested time to conduct studies assessing the impact of an increase in the ethanol content of gasoline on newer model automobiles and small engines.
[39] The association and 30 other organizations—including Friends of the Earth, the National Black Chamber of Commerce, and representatives of the small-engine and snack-food industries—signed a letter in 2008 asking the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to support a bill requiring more study and scientific evaluation before so-called E15 fuels are approved for consumer use.
[50] In October 2021, the Alliance recommended to the NHTSA that the administration settle on a new rule allowing adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlight technology in US vehicles.
In February 2022, NHTSA administrator Steven Cliff signed a rule amending Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, a regulation covering lighting, reflective devices and signalling in cars, satisfying a requirement from the 2021 recommendation.
The feature is important because of drivers leaving unattended children in the back seat of a car, where interior temperatures can rise 20° in 10 minutes, causing hyperthermia.