After announcing a ban on electric and retractable door handles, China is working to introduce additional safety rules for vehicles sold in the country.
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The latest regulations apply to yoke-style handlebars, which have become popular in vehicles such as the Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X is a Lexus RZ. According to the Chinese government, this type of government is an “unsafe” solution.
The Chinese Autohome The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) plans to ban yoke-style governments from January 1, 2027.
The authority recently published the draft mandatory national standard GB 11557-202X approval, which contains “the regulations for protection against injuries caused by the steering mechanism of motor vehicles”.
The new safety regulations would replace the current Chinese standard (GB 11557-2011), which has not changed for more than a decade. Under the new guidelines, Chinese safety authorities require crash tests at ten specific points on the rim of the steering wheel.
This includes several points such as “center of weakest area” and “center of shortest unsupported area” that simply do not exist on yoke style handlebars.
According to data published by the Chinese authorities, 46% of driver injuries are caused directly by the steering mechanism. A yoke-style handlebar provides a smaller airbag protection zone than a conventional handlebar, which increases the risk of serious injury in the event of a crash.
As with similar regulatory changes, manufacturers in China will have 13 months to adapt their models to the new regulations, provided no further changes are made before the proposed January 2027 implementation date.
Photos: Tesla / Lexus. This content is generated with the help of artificial intelligence and verified by the editors.
