News from the IT family on October 12th: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with three other departments, recently jointly issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of Innovative Design, Research and Development, Testing, and Verification of Automotive Products (Draft for Comments)." The notice clearly states that innovative door handle designs must fully verify functional stability in extreme environments and operability in emergency situations. Mechanical redundancy design and sufficient space for hand operation are required, and the installation of fully concealed door handles is prohibited.
According to a report by CCTV News today, Zhang Hong, a member of the Expert Committee of the China Automobile Circulation Association, pointed out that after the new regulations are introduced, it will help to bring some of the flashy designs of new energy vehicles back to their essential role as safety tools.
The "Draft for Soliciting Opinions" mentions that starting from January 1, 2027, new products involving innovative design should include the submission of technical parameters for innovative design, and safety and environmental protection assessments should be strengthened in accordance with the "Automotive Product Innovative Design Technical Guidelines." Products that have not undergone required testing and verification, have insufficient testing and verification, or provide false materials will not be announced.
For products that have already been announced, it is required to submit additional technical parameters and verification materials by July 1, 2027; if there are safety hazards after the deadline, production should be halted and a recall should be implemented.
Zhang Hong pointed out that after the new regulations are implemented, car companies that comply smoothly and deliver products stably may be more able to attract consumers who are willing to purchase with cryptocurrency; whereas those brands that repeatedly postpone deliveries or significantly reduce product configurations may lose orders. For car companies, the advantages of leading enterprises will increase, while smaller and medium-sized car companies, as well as some new entrants, may face greater pressures in terms of research and development, supply chains, verification, and marketing.
Zhang Hong stated that the ultimate determinants of share changes are still the speed of rectification, cost control, and whether delivery can remain stable. For example, zero-gravity seats will need to incorporate "driving restrictions," with the addition of locking and anti-misoperation control modules; the supply chain also needs to be switched, as door handles, door modules, seat frames, motor controllers, and the entire vehicle's software may all be affected differently.
Regarding the question of whether car owners who currently possess vehicles with concealed door handles need to replace parts after the new regulations are implemented, Zhang Hong stated that the rectification does not necessarily require replacing the entire door handle, especially for the emergency opening mechanism that provides additional external mechanical operation space. For batches of vehicles whose hardware cannot be modified, they may have no choice but to cease production and assess a recall plan.
Regarding the existing models equipped with zero-gravity seats, Zhang Hong stated that the regulatory requirement is not to eliminate this feature altogether, but rather to prohibit the activation of the zero-gravity mode while the vehicle is in motion. Zhang Hong explained that the new regulations are not a one-size-fits-all approach; instead, they represent a compliance check based on safety evidence. As long as the evidence is sufficient and there are no safety hazards, these seats can be retained.
