After announcing a ban on electric and retractable door handles, China is moving to establish new safety rules for vehicles sold in the country.
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The latest regulation concerns yoke-type steering wheels, made popular in vehicles such as Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X e Lexus RZ. According to the Chinese government, this type of steering wheel is considered an “unsafe” feature.
As reported by the Chinese site Autohomethe Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) plans to ban yoke-style steering wheels starting January 1, 2027.
The body recently published the approval of a draft of the mandatory national standard GB 11557-202Xwhich describes “provisions to protect drivers from injury caused by the steering mechanism of motor vehicles”.
The new safety regulations would replace the current Chinese standard (GB 11557-2011), which hasn’t been updated in over a decade. According to these new guidelines, Chinese authorities would require impact testing at ten specific points on the steering wheel rim.
This includes several points, such as the “midpoint of the weakest area” and the “midpoint of the shortest unsupported area,” which simply do not exist in a yoke-style steering wheel.
According to data released by Chinese authorities, 46% of driver injuries result from the steering mechanism itself. A yoke-style steering wheel offers a smaller airbag protection zone than a traditional steering wheel, increasing the risk of serious injury in a crash.
As with similar regulatory changes in China, Chinese brands will have 13 months to adapt models to the new rules, provided no further changes are made before the proposed adoption date of January 2027.
Photo: Tesla / Lexus. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
