Overview
- China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published a national standard banning hidden or retractable door handles on vehicles sold from January 1, 2027, with trunk lids excluded.
- Automakers must retrofit models already approved for sale to comply with the standard by 2029.
- The rule requires that doors can be opened mechanically from inside and outside, targeting designs that deploy automatically or rely on electric releases.
- State media linked the change to reports of handles failing after crashes and to complaints about cumbersome operation, which hampered first responders.
- Retractable handles popularized by Tesla are widespread in China, with China Daily citing 60% penetration among top-selling electrified models in April 2025, while an industry source said redesign and retrofit costs should be modest.