Why It Matters
Hyundai Motor America is lobbying on electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and tax incentive policy, and on trade and tariff issues impacting the automotive industry. Steptoe LLP registered as a new lobbying firm for Hyundai Motor America in 2026 and filed its first quarterly report for the client in the third quarter.
By the Numbers
Hyundai's in-house team reported $390,000 for the third quarter of 2026. Across all three registrants, the client's combined third-quarter 2026 total was $650,000.
- Hyundai Motor America (in-house): $390,000
- Chartwell Strategy Group LLC: $180,000, automotive industry issues
- Steptoe LLP: $80,000, trade issues
DLA Piper LLP (US) filed a termination for Hyundai Motor America in the first quarter of 2026.
The in-house filing names three lobbyists:
- Ben Tesfazghi, senior manager, government affairs
- Basim Motiwala, director, federal government affairs
- Steve Gehring, executive director, safety regulations and policy
Broader Context
EV tax incentives
Public Law 119-21 ended the new, used, and commercial clean-vehicle tax credits for vehicles acquired after Sept. 30, 2025.
Surface-transportation reauthorization and EV fees
The American Society of Civil Engineers supports the BUILD America 250 Act as a first step toward reauthorization, including annual fees on EVs and plug-in hybrids to bolster the Highway Trust Fund, citing a Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimate that the fees would raise about $30 billion over a decade. Plug In America condemned the proposed fees, arguing they burden EV drivers while the federal gas tax has not risen since 1993, and contrasted the proposed $130 EV fee and $35 plug-in-hybrid fee with its estimate that a gasoline vehicle pays about $85 a year in federal gas taxes. The Electrification Coalition urged reauthorization of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) and Charging and Fueling Infrastructure programs at no less than $7.5 billion over five years, arguing the BUILD America 250 Act would impose punitive fees while sharply cutting those programs; it said NEVI funding had helped spur more than $42 billion in additional private, public, and utility investments.
Auto tariffs
President Donald Trump's March 2025 proclamation imposed a 25 percent tariff on imported automobiles and certain parts under Section 232; a November 2025 agreement then reduced the Section 232 rate for South Korean vehicles to 15 percent, according to a Congressional Research Service summary updated Sept. 17. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation opposed the auto and parts tariffs in March 2025, arguing they would raise consumer prices and reduce sales before any new domestic manufacturing or jobs materialized. In January, President Trump said he would raise tariffs on South Korean autos, pharmaceuticals, and lumber from 15 percent to 25 percent.
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