By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A group representing General Motors Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen AG and other major automakers filed suit Friday to block a Massachusetts state ballot initiative that seeks to expand consumer access to vehicle data.
Earlier this month, voters in Massachusetts overwhelmingly approved an initiative to revise the state’s 2013 “Right to Repair” law that would require automakers to grant access to third-party repair shops with greater access to vehicle computer systems. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the 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.”