Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 27, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
The U.S. warns Pirelli about potential sale restrictions due to Chinese investor influence on its data-collecting tyre technology.
MILAN (Reuters) -The United States has warned Pirelli that sales of vehicles fitted with its data-collecting technology could be restricted due to concerns over the influence on the tyremaker of its Chinese investor, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Pirelli declined to comment, while the U.S. Commerce Department was not immediately reachable for comment.
Italy's Pirelli, whose largest shareholder with a 37% stake is Chinese state group Sinochem, has developed technology allowing data from its so-called Cyber Tyres to be collected and transferred in real time to the vehicle.
The U.S. is cracking down on Chinese technology in the automotive industry, banning key software and hardware from Chinese-controlled companies in connected vehicles on U.S. roads. Software prohibitions take effect in the 2027 model year, those on hardware in 2029.
The informal advisory to Pirelli was outlined in a letter dated April 25 by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, Bloomberg said.
It added that the letter, sent in response to a request for an advisory opinion by Pirelli, said automakers that incorporate Cyber Tyre technology into their vehicles would likely need to apply for a specific authorization to sell them in the U.S.
Pirelli and its second-largest investor Camfin, the vehicle of Italian businessman Marco Tronchetti Provera, have entered a dispute with Sinochem over the tyremaker's governance, claiming Sinochem's leading shareholding position was hindering the group's ability to expand its business in the U.S.
Pirelli makes around 25% of its revenue in North America, which it mostly serves through plants in Mexico, South America and Europe, although it also runs a smaller facility in the U.S. state of Georgia.
Last week CEO Andrea Casaluci said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera that Pirelli was in a risky situation after Sinochem rejected a proposal by the company to solve its governance issues.
(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari in Milan; Additional reporting by Davids Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Alvise Armellini and David Holmes)
The U.S. warned Pirelli that sales of vehicles with its data-collecting technology could be restricted due to concerns over the influence of its largest shareholder, the Chinese state group Sinochem.
Pirelli has developed technology that allows data from its Cyber Tyres to be collected and transferred, which is crucial for connected vehicles.
Pirelli is in a dispute with its second-largest investor Camfin and Sinochem over governance issues, with claims that Sinochem's influence is detrimental to the company's management.
Pirelli generates around 25% of its revenue in North America, primarily serving this market through plants located in Mexico, South America, and Europe.
The letter from the U.S. Commerce Department indicated that automakers using Cyber Tyre technology would likely need to apply for a license to sell their vehicles in the U.S.
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