On October 16th， according to a report by Kuaikeji， the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released a draft for public comment on the mandatory national standard “Safety Technical Requirements for Automotive Door Handles.”
This standard is expected to comprehensively regulate the performance of car door handle products and enhance their safety levels.
In response to this development， many car manufacturers have already begun to take action.
The new regulations introduce a mandatory requirement that all vehicle doors must be equipped with a mechanical release function. This ensures that doors can be opened manually even in the event of a power failure or a collision， promoting passenger safety in critical situations.
Industry insiders believe that the introduction of this requirement is likely to curb the trend of “gimmicky competitions” in automotive design， which overemphasis on form， and will steer the industry back towards the fundamental principles of “safety and practicality.”
Notably， Shangjie’s debut model， the H5， has opted against the use of hidden door handles. Furthermore， Tesla’s Design Director has indicated that the company is in the process of redesigning its door handle system. The new design aims to integrate electronic and mechanical structures， making it easier for passengers to open doors during emergencies.
Most automotive companies have stated that they are optimizing and adjusting their door handle designs. However， they acknowledge that it will take time to develop and implement new design concepts.
A representative from Dongfeng indicated that while new design adjustments will be made to comply with the upcoming regulations for automotive door handles， the specific design philosophy and strategic shifts are yet to be further clarified.
A spokesperson from GAC explained that hidden door handles incur higher research and development costs compared to traditional mechanical ones， primarily to ensure safety redundancy and maintain the vehicle’s overall aesthetic flow. “Switching from hidden door handles to traditional mechanical ones requires a redesign of the electrical circuits， new mold openings， and more. Especially in the design of new energy vehicles today， which emphasizes integration， changing a door handle can necessitate linked modifications across multiple system designs， leading to substantial alteration costs.”
Addressing the potential risks associated with the numerous models featuring hidden door handles currently available on the market， an expert from a circulation association commented that the necessity of recalling these vehicles for upgrades to door handles with higher safety redundancy remains a subject for discussion.
“Firstly， the sheer volume of vehicles with hidden door handles on the market makes the cost of a recall immense， and the feasibility of such modifications is also a question. Current technical regulations cannot retroactively apply to products already sold， unless a safety incident occurs， leading to consumer complaints to recall management departments， who would then determine if a recall is necessary，” the expert stated.
