China's auto-safety regulation is being sharpened on two fronts. On October 20, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) Equipment Industry Department released a draft revision of the "Installation Requirements for External Lighting and Light-Signaling Devices of Motor Vehicles and Trailers." For the first time it explicitly forbids installing ADS indicator lamps on vehicles that do not have Level 3 or higher autonomous-driving capability, and sets the dedicated light color for such lamps as blue-green. Until now, most Level 2 assisted-driving systems used blue signal lights, and several automakers had already been warned about the practice back in July.
The move is meant to stop automakers from blurring the line between driver-assistance and self-driving in how they market and signal their cars, reducing the risk that consumers over-trust partial automation. Industry observers note the draft upgrades the regulatory logic from "meeting the standard means market access" toward clearer functional labeling of intelligent-driving tiers.
In a parallel step, MIIT also opened five mandatory national standards — including the "Automotive Data-Security Requirements" — for public comment, reinforcing the compliance baseline for connected and intelligent vehicles. At the same press cycle, officials said the proportion of electronic-certificate payments in the auto industry's accounts payable dropped markedly in the first three quarters as part of a campaign against irrational competition.
Together, the measures signal a shift from rapid scaling toward quality, safety and compliance as the NEV sector enters a more mature phase of development.
Source: First Financial / MIIT
