Chinese regulators have launched a nationwide campaign to strengthen vehicle safety oversight as automakers continue to dramatically shorten the time needed to develop new car models. According to estimates from IAT Automobile Technology and the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the use of artificial intelligence could reduce the development cycle for a new vehicle to around 18 months, compared with approximately two years today. This is several years faster than the traditional development process used by many foreign automakers.
While faster development could help Chinese manufacturers bring new technologies to consumers more quickly, it has also raised concerns that innovation may be moving faster than regulatory oversight and quality-control systems. The issue could become particularly important as Chinese automakers expand into international markets, Bloomberg reports. In response, Chinese regulators have launched a year-long campaign involving unannounced inspections of car manufacturers.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has also begun announcing the companies being inspected immediately after the visits, increasing public scrutiny of the industry. Chery Vice President Li Xuerong warned that vehicles directly affect the safety of millions of families and must be tested under a wide range of conditions. He stressed that manufacturers cannot simply sacrifice important stages of development in order to release new models faster.
China has already introduced stricter requirements in several areas, including electric-vehicle batteries, driver-assistance systems and door handles, following a number of high-profile accidents and safety concerns. One of the proposed measures is to double the mandatory road-testing distance for electric vehicles to 30,000 kilometers. Regulators believe longer real-world testing could help identify technical problems that might otherwise be missed during increasingly compressed development cycles.
However, slowing down may be difficult for Chinese automakers. Consumers in China have become accustomed to frequent launches of new models, updated versions and new technologies. Competition is also extremely intense, with manufacturers racing to introduce more advanced electric and intelligent vehicles.
Geely Chairman Li Shufu said in an interview with CCTV that asking companies to simply slow down is hardly realistic. At the same time, automotive analyst Yale Zhang, Managing Director of Automotive Foresight, argued that certain basic safety standards cannot be replaced, including road tests covering 30,000–50,000 kilometers. The situation reflects a broader transformation in the global automotive industry.
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