China tightens safety tests because it’s launching cars that are too fast

Developing a new car takes three to five years in the traditional industry. Chinese brands have shortened this cycle to about two years and are now pursuing a goal of 18 months, a speed that has become their main competitive advantage and already worries Beijing, according to Automotive News Europe.

The authorities’ response is a year-long campaign to strengthen quality and safety, with audits of manufacturers, unannounced inspections and increased scrutiny on the validation of new technologies. The Chinese regulator is also preparing to double from 15,000 to 30,000 kilometers the minimum distance required in durability tests for new energy vehicles, a category that brings together electric, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles with range extender. The change is not yet in force and would equate these models with combustion cars.

In recent months, the country has tightened the rules on other fronts. It banned retractable door handles and half-steering wheels, the rectangular shape popularized by Tesla, banned from new cars from 2027, and created requirements for advanced assisted driving systems, effective next year. The tightening coincides with the largest recall in the country’s history: more than 4.27 million electric vehicles from nine manufacturers, mostly Tesla, due to failures in the emergency door opening mechanisms.

Manufacturers admit that customers serve as tests

The automakers themselves recognize the risk. Geely, GWM and Chery said that shorter deadlines effectively turn customers into guinea pigs who test the durability and safety of vehicles in real time. “Cars are not fast-moving consumer goods,” said Li Xueyong, a vice president at Chery, who said that some tests cannot be accelerated because the models have to withstand different climates, roads and driving habits.

Slowing down, however, is not simple. Li Shufu, president of Geely, told Chinese state television that it is difficult to ask someone to slow down when everyone is vying for leadership. For smaller companies, the cost is higher: more physical tests mean more time and expense precisely when speed is what keeps them alive. The rules reach brands operating in Brazil, such as BYD, GWM and Chery, whose models are born from these cycles.

Haste is not exclusive to China

European manufacturers try to shorten their own schedules, often using the structures they maintain in China. Volkswagen developed the ID. UNYX 08 electric SUV in 24 months with the support of artificial intelligence and virtual reality in digital validation. It took Groupe Renault 21 months to create the new Twingo. Toyota started to develop platforms and several models at the same time, instead of successive projects.

Artificial intelligence is the main tool of this shortening, replacing manual checks with simulation and digital validation before prototypes. For Yala Zhang, general director of the consultancy Automotive Foresight, the technology reduces design errors, but basic parameters, such as 30,000 or 50,000-kilometer road tests, cannot and should not be replaced.