China to Mandate Physical Controls in Vehicles, Reducing Touchscreen Reliance
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) plans to mandate the use of physical control mechanisms for a number of vehicle functions, including activating and deactivating indicators, raising and lowering windows, and engaging advanced driver-assistance systems.
Carnewschina reported on Monday (16 February) that the new requirements are expected to apply only to newly manufactured vehicles from 1 July 2027.
In recent years, new energy vehicles in China have adopted minimalist cockpit designs characterised by a scarcity of physical control buttons. Instead, a large central control screen houses the majority of vehicle functions, sometimes paired with an entertainment screen for front-seat passengers.
This design, widely used in modern cars — particularly electric vehicles — was once described by Geely's Vice President as a situation in which "the Chinese automotive industry has been afflicted by a trend of blindly following the crowd."
As a revision to the existing national standard GB4094—2016, "Marking of Automotive Control Components, Indicators, and Signalling Devices", the update adds new types and technical requirements for physical control components.
The aim is to ensure that primary control components are easily reachable, easy to use, and largely blind-operable whilst driving, without excessive reliance on visual input, and to reduce distractions caused by display screens.
The revision commenced in 2023 and involved major automotive manufacturers and testing institutions, including the China Automotive Technology and Research Centre, Geely, FAW-Volkswagen, BYD, and Great Wall Motor.
Detailed requirements for physical controls have also been established, including dimensions (effective operating area of at least 10 mm × 10 mm), ease of use (fixed position, blind-operable, with tactile or audio feedback), and reliability (basic functions remaining available when vehicle systems experience faults or power loss).
Carnewschina reported on Monday (16 February) that the new requirements are expected to apply only to newly manufactured vehicles from 1 July 2027.
In recent years, new energy vehicles in China have adopted minimalist cockpit designs characterised by a scarcity of physical control buttons. Instead, a large central control screen houses the majority of vehicle functions, sometimes paired with an entertainment screen for front-seat passengers.
This design, widely used in modern cars — particularly electric vehicles — was once described by Geely's Vice President as a situation in which "the Chinese automotive industry has been afflicted by a trend of blindly following the crowd."
As a revision to the existing national standard GB4094—2016, "Marking of Automotive Control Components, Indicators, and Signalling Devices", the update adds new types and technical requirements for physical control components.
The aim is to ensure that primary control components are easily reachable, easy to use, and largely blind-operable whilst driving, without excessive reliance on visual input, and to reduce distractions caused by display screens.
The revision commenced in 2023 and involved major automotive manufacturers and testing institutions, including the China Automotive Technology and Research Centre, Geely, FAW-Volkswagen, BYD, and Great Wall Motor.
Detailed requirements for physical controls have also been established, including dimensions (effective operating area of at least 10 mm × 10 mm), ease of use (fixed position, blind-operable, with tactile or audio feedback), and reliability (basic functions remaining available when vehicle systems experience faults or power loss).