A rethink for China’s carmakers as regulators tell them to fix quality, not add features

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August 29, 2026, 9:57 AM

• •Four Chinese ministries began a yearlong inspection campaign on 27 August targeting build quality and conformity in intelligent connected vehicles.
• •The campaign prohibits automakers from altering vehicle technical parameters via over-the-air updates once test samples have been sealed.
• •Possible penalties include public naming, suspension from the product catalogue, and a ban on filing new models.
• •Inspectors will test vehicle structures, crash performance, battery packs, and electrical safety, and may compare samples with submitted specifications.
• •China’s GB 4094-2026 standard will require physical controls for 19 functions, including gear selection, wipers, hazard lights, and switching driver assistance off.
• •The article contrasts China’s stricter rules with Euro NCAP’s 2026 protocol, which asks for physical controls on five functions and penalizes noncompliance with a lost star rather than a sales ban.

China’s regulators have started a yearlong inspection campaign focused on vehicle quality and conformity in intelligent connected cars. The campaign bars automakers from changing technical parameters through over-the-air updates after test samples have been sealed, with penalties that can include suspension from the product catalogue. The article says inspectors will examine structures, crash performance, battery packs, and electrical safety, after a recent recall involving hard-to-find interior emergency door releases. It also notes that a separate standard will require physical controls for 19 functions from 2027, going further than Euro NCAP’s five-function guidance in Europe.

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