China’s car industry is facing a regulatory reset. After the fire-prone battery standards and the ban on retractable door handles, a new draft for safety rules published by the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) signals two remarkable backsteps: no more yoke-style steering wheels and no more screen-dominated dashboards. Could this ripple through the entire car industry?
For years, the defining image of China’s booming electric vehicle market has been the stripped-bare cockpit: dashboards couldn’t be wide enough, central displays were too small to compete with tablet screens, and physical buttons were mostly absent.
Brands from domestic giants such as BYD and Xiaomi to foreign players like Tesla have championed the aesthetic. They argue that software can replace switches, simplifying the driving experience and improving ergonomics. Chinese officials see it differently, calling it a blind pursuit of fashion design at the expense of safety.
Done with menu hunting
Therefore, Beijing has issued a package of draft national standards, due to take effect on 1 January 2027. These require ‘essential safety functions’ to be physical, like turn signals, hazard lights, gear selection, and emergency calling. The intention is clear: drivers should not have to hunt through menus or glance repeatedly at a screen to perform basic tasks.
The proposals form part of a broader revision of existing rules governing vehicle controls and steering systems. The current standards date back more than a decade. They no longer reflect the rapid evolution of electric and highly automated vehicles. The updated framework also tightens crash test requirements.
Less safe
One casualty of the official crash-test revision appears to be the yoke steering. Popularised in recent years by models such as the Tesla Cybertruck and adopted by several Chinese brands and the Toyota group, the half-wheel design lacks a continuous upper rim.
According to Chinese regulators, this poses a problem. Half of driver injuries in crashes are caused by contact with the steering mechanism. A traditional circular wheel can help distribute force and provide a buffer in secondary impacts.
By contrast, an open upper section may allow occupants to strike other interior structures. There are also unresolved questions about how unconventional shapes interact with airbag deployment, particularly whether fragmented components could pose additional risks.
Will the UN follow?
Beyond hardware, the draft rules also address higher levels of automation. Systems classified at Levels 3 and 4 must demonstrate performance equivalent to that of a competent and attentive human driver.
This will require carmakers to submit detailed safety cases, including evidence that vehicles can handle unusual traffic scenarios and come to a controlled stop if the system fails or the driver loses control.
The shift follows other recent interventions, including a ban on concealed door handles after fatal incidents in which occupants were reportedly trapped. Taken together, the measures suggest that Beijing is not retreating from automotive innovation, but is drawing firmer boundaries around it.
The stricter Chinese rules could influence the development and design of vehicles worldwide. As the world’s largest car market, China has leverage, and it’s less costly for automakers to deploy a single design for markets worldwide.
Furthermore, it might inspire the United Nations to follow suit and harmonize its vehicle standards with Beijing’s legal framework.
