China Tightens Autonomous Car Rules Ahead Of Shanghai Auto Show, Autonomous Car Era Ends In China?

Autonomous parking features are owned by many vehicles in China. (Doc. CarNewsChina)

JAKARTA The global automotive industry, especially players in the realm of smart vehicles, was shocked by the Chinese government's decisive steps. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has just issued a series of super strict regulations that drastically change the landscape of development, testing, and marketing of autonomous driving technology in the Bamboo Curtain country.

The new rules are expected to have a significant impact on companies that have been positioning themselves leaders in autonomous driving technology, including Huawei, Xpeng, Li Auto, and Nio. In contrast, traditional automotive manufacturers that take a more careful approach to autonomous technology have the potential to benefit from these regulatory changes.

Launching CarNewsChina, Thursday, April 17, the announcement made at this important meeting on April 16, regarding the management of smart connected vehicles, immediately caused a shock wave among manufacturers. This document containing comprehensive restrictions is now a byword throughout the industry. This step was taken following deep concerns regarding the issue of safety that has recently surfaced.

One of the crucial points in this new rule is the ban on the total public beta trial program. This move clearly hit Xiaomi's strategy, which previously aggressively recruited thousands of users to try out their autonomous features. MIIT firmly states that "public testing, both with thousands and tens of thousands of users, must go through official approval lines." This effectively ends a smart phone industry-style approach in which automakers rely on early-adopters to provide feedback to their latest autonomous features.

Furthermore, automotive marketing personnel in China now have to be careful with word choices. MIIT prohibits the use of bombastic terms such as "automatic driving," "interriving autonomously," "smart driving" in their promotional materials. Instead, they are required to use the term "L(angka) assisted driving" and strictly follow the classification of the set level of automation. This clearly forces manufacturers to be more realistic and transparent in communicating their vehicle capabilities.

Regarding Automatic Parking And Long Distance Calls

State-of-the-art features operating without driver supervision, including automatic parking chipsets, touch-one vehicle calling (one-touch summoning), and remote control features, are now strictly prohibited. MIIT emphasizes that these "functions will not be approved for the product" because they are deemed unable to guarantee driver involvement and operational safety. This is a major blow to manufacturers who make these features the main attraction.

This new regulation also tightens driver interaction requirements. The driver monitoring system must not now be deactivated and must be able to detect when the driver releases his hands from the wheel. If the detection of the hands loose exceeds 60 seconds, the system is required to implement risk mitigation strategies such as slowing vehicle speed, activating hazard lights, or even pulling over automatically. The driver's incident fell asleep on the toll road when the autonomous system was active, allegedly one of the triggers of this strict rule.

MIIT also criticizes the over-the-air (OTA) software update practices that are too frequent. One of the goals of this new regulation is to "reduce frequent OTA updates and improve version risk management." Emergency updates will now require recall procedures and approval from the State Administration for Market Regulations (SAMR). This indicates the Chinese government wants to better control the quality and security of autonomous vehicle software.

Prioritize Safety, Not Innovation Speed

Industry observers note that this regulation comes shortly after a tragic incident involving three fatalities, which is strongly suspected to prompt authorities to prioritize safety over the hasty development of technology. The time before the prestigious Shanghai Auto Show (April 23 - May 2, 2025) automotive exhibition, where autonomous driving features are expected to be in the spotlight, clearly demonstrates the government's determination to govern the sector more stringently.