MIIT Tightens Vehicle Access Rules to Curb Rushed R&D and Ensure Safety

To curb automakers' reckless pursuit of rapid vehicle launches at the expense of safety and quality, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) recently revised the "Requirements for Access Review of Automotive Manufacturers and Products," explicitly incorporating reliability testing into the access review process. Under the new rules, conventional fuel-powered vehicles must complete a minimum of 30,000 kilometers of reliability validation, while new energy vehicles (NEVs) must comply with current type-approval test protocols—retaining the existing 15,000-kilometer standard for electric vehicles (half that of internal combustion engine vehicles). Although NEV penetration in China has surpassed 50%, some manufacturers, eager to capture market share, have slashed development cycles from 40 months to as little as 20 months and even launched vehicles without sufficient validation, relying instead on over-the-air (OTA) updates for post-launch fixes. Regulators stressed that automakers must embed the principle of “safety first” throughout the entire R&D process and eliminate short-sighted practices that trade safety for speed. The State Administration for Market Regulation also issued a warning that driver-assistance systems are not equivalent to autonomous driving, urging automakers to advertise honestly and uphold fundamental safety standards.