WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A major trade group representing General Motors Toyota Motor, Volkswagen, Hyundai and other automakers sharply criticized the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, saying the auto safety regulator is impeding progress and struggling to modernize.

"Its fractured relationship with the industry, decades-old safety regulations, and lack of a clear strategic roadmap for emerging technologies are stifling innovation and threatening U.S. global leadership," said Alliance for Automotive

Innovation CEO John Bozzella in written testimony for a U.S. House of Representatives hearing Thursday, calling for the agency to conduct significant reforms and listing dozens of regulatory standards that should be repealed, revised, or updated.