China Tells 30-Plus Carmakers to Resist ‘Irrational Competition’ and Test Fully

Four Chinese government departments have told more than 30 major carmakers to “resist irrational competition” and to test new cars properly before selling them. At the same meeting, officials explained a draft circular that would ban some design features, including fully hidden door handles, and set minimum testing periods for new models. The circular is still a draft and could change before it is issued.

The meeting

The meeting took place on Thursday 15 October, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in a statement carried by Xinhua. It was organised by offices of MIIT, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), with “representatives from more than 30 major automakers”, according to Xinhua’s English report. No companies were named.

Officials “outlined requirements in a draft circular on strengthening the management of innovative vehicle designs and R&D testing and validation, and reported on problems identified during previous supervisory inspections”, Xinhua reports.

In the Chinese statement, the carmakers were told to “firmly resist irrational competition” (TSN’s translation).

What the regulators asked for

According to Xinhua’s English report, the meeting urged carmakers to “fulfill their primary responsibility for product safety, strengthen compliance, and conduct thorough safety assessments and R&D testing and validation to eliminate potential safety risks”.

It also called for “truthful and objective marketing, warning against false, exaggerated or misleading claims, promotional activities depicting traffic violations, or messages encouraging drivers to neglect their responsibility for safe driving”. The Chinese statement adds that companies should state truthfully the usage limits and restrictions of new design features (TSN’s translation).

Carmakers were asked to “strengthen safety safeguards for intelligent connected new energy vehicles”, improve their safety assessment and testing systems, and tighten supply-chain oversight.

The four departments will “release and implement the circular as soon as possible”, continue inspections of major carmakers, and “deal firmly with companies found to have problems in accordance with laws and regulations, and make their cases public”, Xinhua reports.

What the draft circular would require

The four ministries published the draft circular for comment on 10 October. A summary on MIIT’s website sets out three main areas (TSN’s translation from Chinese). It says competition in the car industry has been fierce in recent years, and that some manufacturers have rushed out new products to follow trends without testing them fully.

Testing and validation. New models must complete reliability and durability testing, including for structure and software functions. Environmental adaptation testing must last at least one year and include “two winters and one summer”. Reliability testing must cover at least 30,000 km.

Design red lines. The draft would:

• ban fully hidden door handles;
• rule out folding and flexible screens;
• bar the use of “zero-gravity” seats, rotating seats, or seats reclined flat into a bed while the car is moving;
• require safety controls such as emergency escape and emergency braking to keep physical controls with clear markings.

Approval and enforcement. From 1 January 2027, models that have not been tested as required, are not adequately validated, or are supported by false materials would not be approved for sale. Models already approved would have to submit the missing materials by 1 July 2027. Those that miss the deadline and have safety hazards would have to stop production and be recalled.

These details come from the draft. The final circular could differ, and TSN has not seen the full draft text or a deadline for comments.

Part of a wider tightening

The MIIT summary places the draft alongside other safety measures introduced this year. A mandatory national standard on car door handles, GB 48001—2026, was approved on 28 January. It requires mechanical door release to work after a power loss. China’s first mandatory standard for Level 2 combined driver-assistance systems, GB 47955—2026, takes effect on 1 January 2027. A mandatory standard for Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving systems, GB 44721—2026, takes effect on 1 July 2027.

According to the same summary, MIIT has also been reviewing new model applications more strictly since the end of July. New passenger cars may no longer come with factory-fitted blue driver-assistance indicator lights. Regulators are also running a nationwide campaign on production conformity, aimed at stopping companies from sending one version of a car for testing and mass-producing another.

What we don’t know

• When the final circular will be issued, and how much it will change from the draft.
• Which carmakers attended, and what problems the earlier inspections found.
• Whether any company will be publicly named or penalised.

What this means

• Chinese regulators met more than 30 major carmakers on 15 October and told them to resist “irrational competition”, test new models thoroughly and market them truthfully.
• A draft circular would require at least a year of testing, including two winters and a summer, and 30,000 km of reliability testing. It would ban fully hidden door handles, folding screens and the use of lie-flat or rotating seats while driving.
• The rules are a proposal. If adopted as drafted, they would apply to new approvals from 1 January 2027, with a 1 July 2027 deadline for models already on sale.

Sources

• Xinhua (Chinese): MIIT statement on the 15 October meeting with carmakers
• People’s Daily Online (Xinhua): China urges automakers to resist irrational competition, ensure product safety
• MIIT (Chinese): summary of the draft circular on vehicle design and R&D testing

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