China banned pop-out door handles, now it’s targeting touchscreens in cars

Distracting car infotainment screens, reclining seats and customisable headlights – these are some of the car tech features on the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) hitlist. Following a ban on Tesla-style pop-out door handles earlier this year, China’s safety watchdog is looking at other features on modern cars and its findings could ultimately impact the vehicles we drive in the UK.

As part of a public consultation, the MIIT has itemised several features it plans to regulate in sweeping new rules on car design and tech. While flush-fitting door handles and ‘yoke’ steering wheels were ruled out earlier this year due to safety concerns, the most notable of these new potential restrictions focuses on in-car touchscreens.

MIIT proposes that cars equipped with “central control entertainment screens, large-area displays, or complex head up displays (HUDs) must undergo safety evaluations regarding information presentation impact on driving safety, functional reliability in extreme environments, and collision safety assessments.” This suggested that certain car infotainment systems could be banned under new rules if they are deemed too distracting or unreliable.

In a similar vein, the Chinese ministry says it plans to place a blanket ban on “folding” and “flexible” displays. This comes just months after tech firm BOE showcased new infotainment screen designs which can fold away like a laptop or bend to provide a better viewing angle. So-called “critical functions” like gear shifters, window defrosters and headlight controls must also now all be adjustable via physical buttons and switches. Euro NCAP is making this a requirement to achieve top safety scores in its European tests.

Moving away from infotainment systems, China is also looking to ban the use of so-called ‘zero gravity’ reclining seats (ie those that can fully recline as in first class on an aeroplane) while the vehicle is in motion, as well as enforce moderation in the use of user-customisable headlights. Headlights with predetermined light signatures, such as those offered by the likes of Audi and MINI, will continue to be allowed but features that allow user-generated light designs must be moderated to ensure they don’t “impact on the safety of other road traffic participants”.

While the EU and UK don’t necessarily have laws forbidding such features on cars, Beijing’s latest slew of regulations will undoubtedly see this tech phased out of all relevant models — even those exported internationally. That said, the EU is also said to be investigating the safety impact of pop-out door handles — no doubt partially provoked by bans in China — so it’s not necessarily out of the question that we could see a crack down on potentially dangerous and distracting tech here, too.

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