China

China Mandates Mechanical Door Releases on All Vehicles

Are hidden door handles a deadly design flaw or an innovative feature with adequate safety backups?

FEB 3·Updated FEB 4

China Mandates Mechanical Door Releases on All Vehicles

Story

Above: A man opens the door for a Zeekr X7 electric vehicle in a Beijing showroom on Feb. 3. Image credit: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced new regulations on Monday requiring all vehicles sold in the country to have mechanical door releases on both interior and exterior handles, with the rules taking effect Jan. 1, 2027.
CNN
The Straits Times
The new rules stipulate that exterior door handles must provide a recessed space measuring at least 6 cm by 2 cm (2.4 inches) by 2.5 cm for hand operation, and interior handles must include signage at least 1 cm by 0.7 cm showing how to open the door.
BBC News
China Daily
Hidden door handles feature in approximately 60% of the top 100 best-selling new energy vehicles in China, according to data cited by government-controlled newspaper China Daily and public data sources.
France24.com
The Straits Times
In October, a fatal crash in Chengdu involving a Xiaomi electric vehicle resulted in rescuers struggling to open the doors of the burning car, with the driver reported to be under the influence of alcohol dying in the incident.
TRT World
CNA
Chinese car models already approved for launch have been granted a two-year grace period until January 2029 to comply with the new door handle regulations, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Barrons
Fox41 Yakima
This comes as the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into Tesla's electric-powered door handles in November after receiving nine complaints about handles in 2021 Model Y cars, with four cases requiring owners to break windows.
BBC News
TechCrunch

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Mandating mechanical door releases addresses a deadly design flaw that has trapped occupants and blocked emergency responders during crashes. Fatal incidents involving power failures have proven that these electronic handles prioritize aesthetics over lives, and China's ban sets a necessary global safety standard.

TechCrunch

Road & Track

Yahoo! News on Reddit

Narrative B

Hidden door handles represent an innovative design that reduces drag and improves efficiency, but with engineering limitations. This technology needs to be iterated on more, and the industry needs to strengthen its regulations around door handles in general.

Medium