1. Safety is the foundation of China's auto industry, especially its young electric-vehicle (EV) sector, and will determine its future growth room. [para. 1]
2. A draft notice from four government agencies, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), proposes adding 51 core technical parameters and issuing guidance on innovative automotive design; new models failing to meet these requirements could not be sold. [para. 2]
3. The draft would also require automakers to conduct reliability testing of no less than 30,000 kilometers and environmental-adaptation testing lasting at least one year, including a sequence from extreme cold to high heat and back to extreme cold. [para. 3]
4. This regulation addresses the phenomenon of cars rushed to market by compressing development schedules and skipping validation procedures, which generate short-term sales excitement but leave serious safety risks. The draft aims to curb such "instant cars" and make safety central to product approval and testing. [para. 4]
5. Its core message is clear: vehicle safety and emissions-control technologies must improve; risky innovative designs and insufficiently tested products must be kept off the market; and environmental and safety bottom lines must be defended. [para. 5]
6. Safety cannot be emphasized enough. A high-quality auto industry must be built on a solid safety foundation, with no shortcuts, treating safety as a hard promise that holds in every emergency stop and extreme driving condition. These stricter standards are not just an external regulatory burden but an internal necessity for the industry's sustainable development. [para. 6][para. 7]
7. The draft lays out detailed standards for advanced driver-assistance and autonomous-driving functions, unconventional steering wheels, virtual controls, new human-machine interfaces, powered doors, and high-angle seats, while requiring comprehensive reliability and durability testing on rough roads, ordinary roads, highways, and mountain routes under multiple stress forms. [para. 8]
8. This is not an attempt to put the brakes on innovation; it brings the industry back to first principles. Without rigorous enforcement, the faster the industry expands, the more rapidly safety risks multiply. Innovation deserves encouragement but must never breach the safety line; the most valuable innovation should first improve basic performance in safety and environmental protection. [para. 9][para. 10]
9. The need is practical. In August, an MIIT official warned that irrational competition remains prominent, with some "aggressive" designs installed without sufficient experimental validation, while incidents involving product quality and autonomous-driving safety raised public concern. One example shows a new-energy vehicle maker conducting 10,000 tests on new door handles, but only 2,000 were physical tests; the other 8,000 were simulations, showing how safety is discounted when testing is compromised. [para. 11][para. 12]
10. Supervision must be strengthened. The draft provides for joint penalties against automakers failing to file required applications, supplying false materials, or violating national standards, including orders to rectify, public notices, suspension or revocation of product approvals, denial of vehicle registration, and fines. Enforcement must be evenhanded; regulators cannot hesitate because a company is large or politically consequential, as there can be no bargaining on safety and no company should enjoy privileges beyond the law. [para. 13][para. 14]
11. Marketing practices also require discipline; automakers must not make false, exaggerated, or misleading claims, nor encourage drivers to disregard responsibility for safe operation. Ultimately, regulation sets conditions, but companies bear primary responsibility: ensuring consistency between approved designs and mass-produced vehicles and taking responsibility for quality and safety. [para. 15][para. 16]
12. When defects are found, manufacturers must file recall plans with the State Administration for Market Regulation, initiate recalls, and eliminate risks. In August, the regulator issued several recall notices involving door-handle safety risks, affecting more than 4.27 million vehicles. Automakers must keep safety foremost, recognizing it as inseparable from brand credibility, and pursue durable growth rather than speed. [para. 17][para. 18]
13. Safety is the ultimate luxury and should not be merely an advertising line; it must become an industry rule and a matter of corporate conscience. Through fair competition, China's auto industry—especially its EV-makers—can weed out weaker players and produce brands capable of standing firmly in global markets. [para. 19]
AI generated, for reference only
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