The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) could make the superpower the first nation to place an effective ban on carmakers deleting physical controls from car interiors, according to overseas reports.
Car News China reports the MIIT is proposing a revision to existing regulations – specifically standard GB4094–2016, ‘Marking of Automotive Control Components, Indicators, and Signaling Devices’ – which would ensure critical controls are kept physical and not moved to vehicle touchscreens to be operated.
The publication reports that, if it comes into effect, a number of vehicle functions will need to be operated by physical controls, such as lighting (indicators and hazard warning lights), gear shifting, advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) functions, and safety or emergency operations (windscreen wipers, windows, power on switch, demister).
In addition to this, there will also reportedly be size requirements for such physical controls, as well as stipulations on where they are located and if they can be operated in the event of a loss of power.
While not all of these vehicle functions have moved to touchscreens in all cars, Tesla has arguably been at the forefront of making minimalist cabins.
Recent instances have been removing the indicator stalk in place of steering wheel-mounted buttons, not having a physical gear selector and even lacking an off switch which is accessible outside of the touchscreen.
The proposed changes will, if approved in their current form, reportedly come into force from July 1, 2026, but only for newly launched vehicles, meaning those which are already in production can remain so without changes.
This is likely to have an impact on Australia too, given the large volume of cars which are now coming from not only Chinese production lines but also Chinese brands.
The report of the new regulations comes amid sweeping changes from the MIIT, which in the past month has wanted to ban electric-powered vehicle door handles, as well as potentially kill off ‘yoke’-style steering wheels.
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