Draft rules in place to end market launches that skip real-world testing

China is beefing up regulations to prevent automakers from rushing new energy vehicles to market with insufficient real-world testing, following growing public concern over safety failures in so-called "fast-track" cars.

The move is expected to inject new impetus into the high-quality development of the Chinese NEV industry, while boosting its competitiveness on the global stage, experts said.

The comments came after the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology — together with three other government departments — released a draft notice on strengthening the management of automotive product innovation design, and research and development testing verification on Saturday.

The accompanying technical guidelines set specific testing and verification requirements for virtual controls, door handles, new human-machine interaction systems and reclining seats.

Industry observers widely interpret the move as a firm "no" to "fast-track" vehicles — models rushed into production by excessively compressing development cycles and cutting real-vehicle validation in order to rapidly snag market share.

The issue has come under intense public scrutiny in recent days after a widely discussed incident involving broken brake pedal brackets in the V800 models of Maextro, a Chinese ultra-luxury electric vehicle brand formed by Huawei and JAC. While the case awaits an authoritative investigation, one point is beyond dispute — a car's brakes should never fail during driving.

"Some brands skip tests that should have been done in pursuit of speed to market, turning consumers into 'test drivers'," Li Fenggang, general manager of Beijing Hyundai, said at the 2026 China Auto Forum earlier this year.

A test engineer at an automaker told China Daily on condition of anonymity that a new model typically must complete basic parameter tests covering braking, steering, handling stability, ride comfort, power performance and fuel economy, in addition to high temperature, high altitude, extreme cold calibration and environmental adaptability mileage tests.

Completing these tests takes time. Zhu Xichan, a professor at Tongji University's College of Automotive and Energy Engineering, said full vehicle road testing requires "two winters and two summers" over the development cycle, and even minor alterations need one winter and one summer plus 30,000 kilometers of real-road testing.

Zhu said complaints about rusting in fast-track cars often stem from skipped humidity and corrosion tests.

In one case, an NEV maker conducted only 2,000 physical tests out of 10,000 total door handle tests, with the remaining 8,000 done through simulation. Some automakers perform just 20 percent of real testing requirements, relying on simulation for the rest, experts said.

This substitution of simulation for real-road testing represents a sharp reduction in extreme engineering validation and a cutting of corners that ultimately leaves consumers in the lurch.

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This summer in Chongqing, amid a prolonged heat wave above 40 C, many owners of a certain NEV brand reported air suspension leaks and one-sided chassis collapses that left vehicles unusable — raising questions about whether extreme-heat testing before market launches was being sufficiently carried out.

In July, the National Technical Committee of Auto Standardization sought public comment on a proposal to raise the total reliability road-test mileage for three categories of NEVs to no less than 30,000 kilometers, aligning with fuel vehicle standards.

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, called it a "coming-of-age ceremony" for NEVs, marking a shift from "cultivation first" to "regulation first."

In August, the MIIT and other departments launched a one-year nationwide campaign targeting production consistency, reliability, durability and new-technology testing verification — cracking down on "testing one version, producing another", and on unverified technologies or designs that pose safety risks.

The latest draft rules aim to correct problems at the source of automotive innovation, design and verification testing. Safety is an impassable red line for the auto industry. For consumers, a vehicle may lack top-tier acceleration or smart features, but it must never fail on the most basic safety fundamentals when it matters most, experts added.

Contact the writers at masi@chinadaily.com.cn