Car makers warn China's rare-earth curbs could halt production

Highlights:

• Automakers warn of rare-earth magnet shortage
• China controls over 90% of global magnet processing capacity
• China's export restrictions impact global auto production
• US officials frustrated with China's slow export license issuance

Global auto executives are sounding the alarm on an impending shortage of rare-earth magnets from China – used in everything from windshield-wiper motors to anti-lock braking sensors – that could force the closure of car factories within weeks.

In a previously unreported May 9 letter to Trump administration officials, the head of the trade group representing General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai and other major automakers raised urgent concerns.

"Without reliable access to these elements and magnets, automotive suppliers will be unable to produce critical automotive components, including automatic transmissions, throttle bodies, alternators, various motors, sensors, seat belts, speakers, lights, motors, power steering, and cameras," the Alliance for Automotive Innovation wrote the Trump administration.

The letter, which also was signed by MEMA, The Vehicle Suppliers Association, added that, without those essential automotive components, it would only be a matter of time before US vehicle factories are disrupted.

"In severe cases, this could include the need for reduced production volumes or even a shutdown of vehicle assembly lines," the groups said.

Both Alliance CEO John Bozzella and MEMA CEO Bill Long told Reuters on Friday the situation was not resolved and remained a concern. They expressed gratitude for the Trump administration's high-level engagement to prevent disruption to US auto production and the supply chain.

Bozzella noted that the automotive issue was on the agenda during Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer's talks with their Chinese counterparts in Geneva earlier this month.

Greer told CNBC on Friday that China had agreed to lift restrictions on the exports of rare-earth magnets to US companies and was not moving fast enough to grant access for key US industries. "We haven't seen the flow of some of those critical minerals as they were supposed to be doing."

China - which controls over 90% of global processing capacity for the magnets used in everything from automobiles and fighter jets to home appliances - imposed restrictions in early April requiring exporters to obtain licenses from Beijing.

Rare-earth magnet exports from China halved in April as companies grappled with an opaque application process for permits that sometimes require hundreds of pages of documents.

In a social-media post Friday, President Donald Trump accused China of violating terms of a deal reached this month to temporarily dial back tariffs and other trade restrictions.

"China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

China's embassy in Washington responded by saying it was the US that was abusing export controls in the semiconductor sector.

A US official with knowledge of the talks told Reuters that only tariffs and Chinese non-tariff countermeasures were covered in Geneva talks, and that US export controls were not part of the deal.

The official also expressed frustration that Beijing appeared to be moving slowly on promises to issue rare-earth export licenses, which could kick start export control retaliation by Washington if automakers vulnerable to shortages of the minerals are forced to halt production.

While a handful of licenses have been granted, including to some Volkswagen suppliers, Indian automakers say they still have received none and will have to stop production in early June.

German auto parts maker Bosch said this week that its suppliers have been bogged down by China's more-rigorous procedures to receive export licenses.

A Bosch spokesperson described the process as "complex and time-consuming, partly due to the need to collect and provide a lot of information."