Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has rebranded its newest driverless car model to Ojai, a name chosen to create a sense of familiarity for customers. The company that actually makes the vehicles, Zeekr, is based in China and has extensive ties to the Chinese Communist Party, a review found.
The rebranding comes amid growing congressional scrutiny over Waymo's ties to China. Zeekr, which has built cars for Waymo since 2021, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, a Hangzhou-based company chaired by Li Shufu, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Concerns Over Chinese Communist Party Ties
Li Shufu, who also uses the name Eric, served until 2023 as a representative of the National People's Congress, which calls itself the supreme organ of state power in China. Li was a vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, a Communist Party business association that boosts China's Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure program used to develop stronger diplomatic ties to countries in Africa, South America, and elsewhere.
On Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R., Ohio) grilled Waymo chief safety officer Mauricio Peña over the company's relationship with Geely and Zeekr. Peña insisted that Waymo's sensors and other tracking equipment are manufactured and installed in the United States on Zeekr vehicles imported from China.
Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.) pressed the Biden administration on May 30, 2024, over Zeekr's listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Scott raised concerns that Zeekr's supply chains rely on slave labor and that the company had failed to fully disclose its CCP ties when registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
A spokesman for Waymo said the company understands and shares the concerns raised by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) and Gary Peters (D., Mich.) over national security threats posed by Chinese auto makers' CCP ties.