Overview
- The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s new technical requirements apply to vehicles under 3.5 tonnes and require physical interior and exterior handles with a mechanical emergency-opening function.
- The rules take effect for brand-new models on January 1, 2027, with already approved or in-production vehicles given a 25‑month compliance window to January 1, 2029.
- The mandate follows high-profile incidents, including a fatal Xiaomi SU7 fire in Chengdu and Bloomberg’s tally of at least 15 deaths in Teslas where power-dependent doors reportedly would not open after crashes.
- In the United States, NHTSA defect probes continue as new court filings in the Samuel Tremblett case detail his 911 pleas for help before dying in a Model Y, while Tesla says it is redesigning handles and has updated guidance that doors auto‑unlock after severe impacts.
- Because China is the world’s largest auto market and consulted major carmakers on the standard, manufacturers are expected to shift designs globally as Europe accelerates rulemaking and Illinois considers requiring manual releases.