Foreign auto makers spent $280,000 lobbying in 1Q

The trade group -whose members include Honda, Hyundai, Ferrari, Peugeot, Nissan and Toyota -also lobbied on legislation dealing with fuel economy, emissions standards, vehicle safety and more, according to the form posted online April 21 by the House clerk's office. The Arlington, Va.-based association spent $990,000 to lobby the federal government in 2007.

New cars and trucks will need to meet a fleet average of 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015, according to a proposal last month from the Bush administration. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters set a schedule that was more aggressive than initially expected by the auto industry in response to a new energy law that requires new cars and trucks, taken as a collective average, to meet 35 mpg by 2020.

Meanwhile, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said last week that pressure from the auto industry will not deter the state from attempting to impose strict emission rules for vehicles sold there.

Besides Congress, the association lobbied the White House and the departments of Transportation and Commerce in the first three months of the year.