2026 China Auto Forum Targets "Rushed Cars" Crisis: Cut-Short Testing Sparks Surge in Recalls, Exposing Quality Risks

On July 22, 2026, the China Automotive Forum was held in Jiading, Shanghai. In his speech, Li Fenggang, General Manager of Beijing Hyundai, pointed out that some automakers, in their rush to accelerate new vehicle launches, have skipped essential validation steps, effectively shifting vehicle testing risks onto consumers. He emphasized that automobiles are fundamentally different from consumer electronics—safety failures in vehicles can lead to severe consequences. According to data from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, 50 vehicle recall announcements were issued in the first half of 2026, involving 26 brands and totaling approximately 1.65 million vehicles. Notably, recalls by domestic brands surged by 681.2% year-on-year. During the same period, complaints received by Chezhili.com (a leading automotive quality complaint platform) rose by 58.3% quarter-on-quarter and 83.4% year-on-year. Li Fenggang explained that a standard vehicle development process should include both design validation and production validation phases. However, some companies complete only one of these stages, resulting in poor production consistency and significant quality fluctuations. This trend is closely tied to intensifying competition in the new energy vehicle (NEV) market: over 500 new models were launched in the first half of 2026 alone, drastically compressing R&D cycles and leading to cuts in pre-production procedures. Fu Bingfeng, Vice Chairman of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, called for curbing irrational competition in the industry and promoting a long-term development mindset. Regulators have already begun raising the mileage threshold for NEV reliability testing. Ultimately, the industry’s direction will hinge on consumers’ choices between “speed” and “quality.”