The all-terrain vehicle industry for years opposed mandatory standards dictating the way they build their machines. But the industry has changed course as it lost market share to lower-priced Chinese-made A.T.V.’s that do not meet voluntary standards, including some with inadequate brakes and top speeds that exceed guidelines.

“When you move from voluntary to mandatory you give the government policing power to make sure that products on the market meet safety standards — so we are all on a level playing field,” said Tim Buche, president of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, which represents companies that manufacture A.T.V.’s in the United States.

The willingness of state legislators to enact their own regulations or attorneys general to join together to go after companies has also inspired industry groups to seek new federal regulations. California and Oregon, for example, enacted laws requiring antifreeze manufactures to include a bitter-tasting additive to their formulas to help prevent children and pets from drinking it. That was enough to convince the trade group to drop its opposition to a federal standard and come forward in an alliance with the Doris Day Animal League to propose a new mandate, which included liability protection against any claims filed related to the change in the formula. Environmental groups, though, object to the proposed solution, saying the additive could pollute water.

Some of the broadest shifts by industry have come as Congress, now controlled by Democrats, is indicating that it is serious about taking up major regulatory changes, including tobacco regulations, a possible increase in fuel efficiency standards and legislation addressing climate change, which could affect factories that manufacture thousands of different products.

“They are coming forward, trying to shape the debate with their own proposals so that when activist legislators start writing the new laws, they are included,” said Rena Steinzor, a professor of environmental law at the University of Maryland and a former federal regulator. Ms. Steinzor said she was surprised recently when several major corporations sought her help in negotiating with environmental groups.

The slow response by the Bush administration to several of these proposals has been a source of frustration to some industry groups.

“We have had a very, very uphill battle trying to get regulation,” said David H. Baker, a lawyer for the Lighter Association. The organization, representing cigarette lighter manufacturers, has been seeking a mandatory standard because unsafe, inexpensive Chinese imports were flooding the market, but staff members at the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommended against such a rule, saying the number of deaths and injuries did not justify it.