The wind has changed.
As the public discussion on automobile quality and safety continues to heat up, regulators have not stopped at verbal reminders, but are planning to introduce rigid policies.
Recently, the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of Innovative Design and R&D Testing and Verification of Automotive Products (Draft for Comments)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice") drafted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other four departments was released to the public. It puts forward various requirements in response to the problems of some manufacturers following the trend of launching new products and insufficient testing and verification.
The core meaning is: in the future, innovation is allowed, but verification cannot be spared; publicity is OK, but exaggeration is not allowed.
First of all, verification cannot be done “quickly”.
Previously, China's automobile product quality and safety supervision mainly adopted the "access + recall" model, usually using access to prevent "known risks" and using recalls to compensate for "unknown risks."
There is an important change in thinking in this "Notice": putting security risk assessment first and preventing risks during the access process.
For example, innovative designs that fail to meet the evaluation standards shall not be installed in vehicles; automobile manufacturers shall not apply for the "Road Motor Vehicle Manufacturer and Product Announcement" without completing all R&D test verification projects.
This means that car companies must produce verification materials to prove safety during the design and development stage.
In addition, the "Notice" lists a "prohibited list" and specific test and verification requirements: both traditional cars and new energy vehicles must complete a reliability verification mileage of no less than 30,000 kilometers; the environmental adaptability verification period should be no less than one year, and include "two winters and one summer"; verification of innovative designs of automotive products should at least include actual vehicle testing, and additional testing and verification in the form of simulation analysis, bench testing, etc. as needed.
A series of stringent indicators all point to one goal - to keep out products that are eager to achieve success and simplify verification.
Secondly, the design cannot be "fancy work" at will.
Nowadays, there are all kinds of "innovative designs" in cars on the market - strange-shaped steering wheels, missing door handles, seats that can be folded down to become a large bed... The dazzling designs directly confuse consumers: Should they buy a car or a living room? Are all these features necessary?
In the future, these "hard tasks" will not be solved just by one's will.
For example, the "Notice" directly requires that fully hidden door handles, which have been frequently complained by consumers, are "not allowed to be equipped".
The reason is simple. According to actual measurements by professional organizations, the door pop-up success rate of cars equipped with electronic door handles after a side collision is only 67%, which is far lower than the 98% of mechanical door handles. Behind this gap lies a huge safety hazard.
For another example, in response to the "zero-gravity" seats that many car companies like to advocate in the past, the "Notice" proposes that car manufacturers should use technical means to limit the use scenarios of seats. "Zero-gravity" seats, rotating seats, or seats that can be folded into beds cannot be used while driving.
These fatal risks in extreme scenarios and inapplicable “gimmick innovations” may have been in a regulatory gray area before, but they will no longer be.
Furthermore, marketing cannot be “bragging” blindly.
In the past few years, there has been a phenomenon in the press conferences of car companies, that is, all kinds of rhetoric are flying everywhere, and they are eager to preach that they are "far ahead", "the strongest on the surface" and "invincible in the universe".
Although the development speed and advantages of China's new energy vehicle industry are obvious to the outside world, over-exaggerated marketing will not only mislead consumers, but also damage one's own brand.
Regarding marketing issues, the "Notice" goes straight to the point and clearly states that false, exaggerated or misleading publicity is not allowed, scenes that violate road traffic regulations are not allowed to be used to promote product functions, and drivers are not allowed to be induced to ignore their responsibilities for safe driving.
It is worth noting that just a few days after the "Notice" was released, on October 15, four departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology called more than 30 car companies to a meeting. "Regulating marketing and publicity activities" was an important content mentioned at the meeting.
The signal is clear: no nonsense words in advertising.
Observing the official actions in recent times, they first launched special actions to focus on rectifying issues such as vehicle reliability and durability, and then released a draft of new regulations for comments. The regulatory direction has become increasingly clear.
It is undeniable that for car companies entering the stage of fierce competition, it must be painful in a short period of time. The lengthening of the R&D cycle, the increase in verification costs, and the slowdown of product iterations are all challenges.
However, only by enduring the pain to squeeze out the bubble and curb chaos can we lay a solid foundation for industrial development in the long term. After all, the guarantee of quality and safety is the trump card for car companies to survive to the next round.
In 2026, China's new energy vehicle penetration rate will reach a new high. The achievements are hard-won and require rigid institutional regulations.
Establishing rules is not to make things difficult for anyone, but to make the industry go further.
