China will soon bring in mandatory safety requirements for driving assistance systems in the country.
China's Ministry of Industry of Information Technology recently put forward a proposal to this effect.
A few of the country’s car manufacturers are on a team that has been assigned the task of drafting the safety rules and requirements. The team has been given a month to complete the framing of the rules and will submit its report on 4 July 2025, according to local media reports.
This move has been spurred by the fact that many auto manufacturers launch new models of their vehicles equipped with advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) systems and make these their unique selling points. There has been a massive cut-throat price war in the sector over the last three years.
China recently also banned the use of the terms ‘smart driving’ and ‘autonomous driving’ in advertisements by carmakers. Also, software updates related to driving functions in intelligent and connected vehicles can now be updated remotely only with prior regulatory approvals. The new directives were issued by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology earlier this year.
These moves were initiated in the aftermath of a crash involving Xiaomi’s SU7 electric sedan in March this year in which three women were killed. This crash reignited public debate about the safety of intelligent driving systems. According to preliminary investigations, the vehicle struck a concrete fencing pole at 97 kmph shortly after the driver disengaged the ADAS, which led to a fire.
The Chinese regulators had also issued much stricter guidelines for EV battery standards with a focus on reducing the risk of fires and explosions in the EV batteries.