The Justice Department has abandoned its antitrust probe of four automakers that sided with California over President Donald Trump in a fight over the future of fuel economy and emissions requirements.

The inquiry had targeted Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., BMW AG and Volkswagen AG over their agreement last year with California regulators to voluntarily meet the state's targets for fuel economy and tailpipe emissions. The decision was seen as undercutting Trump's plan to relax the national requirements and was decried by the administration at the time as a "PR stunt."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom cheered the Justice Department's decision to back down, calling it "a big loss for the president and his weaponization of federal agencies."