China drafts rules to ban hidden car handles, virtual controls

China has proposed stricter safety rules for automakers that would ban fully hidden door handles and foldable or flexible displays, while requiring physical controls for key vehicle functions, as authorities step up scrutiny of innovative car designs and testing standards.

The draft rules, released on Saturday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and three other government agencies, seek to address safety and environmental risks from manufacturers launching new models without sufficient testing and validation. The proposals are open for public comment until November 10.

Under the proposals, automakers seeking approval for new models from January 1, 2027, would have to submit detailed technical documentation covering innovative designs and their testing. Models that are inadequately tested or supported by false data could be rejected.

Vehicles that have already received approval would have to report information about their innovative designs by July 1, 2027. Automakers could face production suspensions and recalls if they fail to comply and their vehicles are found to have safety hazards, the draft says.

The proposed rules would require safety-critical functions, including emergency escape, emergency braking and drive-system power cut-off, to have physical controls and clear labels. Door handles must be tested for reliability in extreme conditions and operability during emergencies, with mechanical redundancy and sufficient space for users to operate them manually.

Automakers would also have to prevent the use of “zero-gravity” or swivel seats, or seats converted into beds, while driving. Vehicles featuring large infotainment screens or complex head-up displays would face additional assessments of driver distraction, functionality under extreme conditions and crash safety.

The proposals come as China's passenger vehicle market faces weaker demand. Retail sales fell 24% year-on-year in September to 1.702 million units, while sales of new-energy vehicles (NEVs), including electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, declined 12% to 1.141 million units, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

Passenger vehicle retail sales totalled 13.42 million units in the first nine months of 2026, down 21% from a year earlier. NEV retail sales rose 14% from August to 1.141 million units in September, but remained 12% lower than a year earlier. Year-to-date NEV retail sales reached 7.816 million units, also down 12% year-on-year.

NEVs accounted for 67.1% of passenger vehicle retail sales in September, while their share of wholesale volumes reached 66.1%, the association said.