The strictest new regulations for assisted driving are coming. Users must be intervened when they take their hands off the steering wheel, and OTA upgrades need to be filed.

Two government departments impose restrictions on car manufacturers, and the era of reckless development of assisted driving is coming to an end.

According to a report by CheDongXi on August 14th, recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly drafted the "Notice on Strengthening the Recall, Production Consistency Supervision and Management, and Standardizing the Promotion of Intelligent Connected New Energy Vehicle Products (Draft for Comment)" and solicited public opinions. The feedback deadline is September 15, 2025.

▲ The State Administration for Market Regulation issues a draft for comment

The draft for comment mainly covers four aspects: strengthening the defect investigation and recall management of intelligent connected new energy vehicles, enhancing the supervision and management of production consistency of intelligent connected new energy vehicles, strengthening the supervision of enterprises' advertising activities and commercial promotion behaviors, and intensifying the reporting and in - depth investigation of incidents and accidents involving intelligent connected new energy vehicles.

The industry is going to further strengthen the supervision of assisted driving.

As early as April this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued an announcement, requiring automobile manufacturers to fully conduct test and verification of combined driving assistance systems, clarify the functional boundaries and safety response measures of the systems, refrain from exaggerated and false promotion, strictly fulfill the obligation of notification, earnestly assume the main responsibility for production consistency and quality safety, and effectively improve the safety level of intelligent connected vehicle products.

▲ The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issues an announcement

The standardization of the assisted driving industry is advancing steadily.

01. Intervention is required once hands leave the steering wheel! The driver monitoring system must not be turned off.

The "Notice on Strengthening the Recall, Production Consistency Supervision and Management, and Standardizing the Promotion of Intelligent Connected New Energy Vehicle Products (Draft for Comment)" mainly includes nine requirements.

In terms of strengthening the defect investigation and recall management of intelligent connected new energy vehicles, the two departments put forward four requirements.

1. Enterprises should display safety warnings and instructions for the combined driving assistance system in prominent positions in the vehicle App, in - vehicle information interaction system, and user manuals to facilitate consumers' reading, understanding, and operation, preventing drivers from using the combined driving assistance function as an autonomous driving function.

2. Enterprises should develop and use driver monitoring, warning, and handling functions that prioritize safety, closely monitor the driver's driving state, and promptly take warning or control measures such as voice warnings, steering wheel vibrations, speed limits, pulling over, and disabling the combined driving assistance function when the driver takes hands off the steering wheel, falls asleep, or disengages from the dynamic driving task, so that the driver can take over the vehicle in time and reduce safety risks.

This requires enterprises to develop a "safety - first" monitoring system that immediately takes over control when the driver shows "lazy" behavior or loses the ability to drive.

3. Enterprises should strengthen the monitoring of defect information of intelligent connected new energy vehicles, reducing the risk of vehicle accidents caused by cyber - attacks, cyber threats, and vulnerabilities.

In response to issues such as hackers remotely controlling vehicles, stealing data, and causing accidents by exploiting system vulnerabilities, this requirement urges enterprises to strengthen the cybersecurity defense of vehicles and monitor defects and attack risks in real - time.

4. Enterprises must not actively turn off the driver monitoring, warning, and handling functions through user operations or system logic. The State Administration for Market Regulation will conduct special investigations on the insufficient driver monitoring, warning, and handling functions and include them in the defect analysis and investigation work if necessary.

This requirement prohibits any form of actively turning off the driver monitoring, warning, and handling functions, including but not limited to users cracking the system to avoid monitoring on their own and car manufacturers weakening alarms for marketing gimmicks. The State Administration for Market Regulation will conduct special and strict inspections.

Overall, these requirements force car manufacturers to closely monitor drivers with a combination of "monitoring + warning + forced intervention" and be ready to take over the steering wheel to save lives at any time to ensure the safety function throughout the process.

02. OTA upgrades require filing, and enterprises with frequent OTA upgrades will be subject to key spot - checks.

In terms of enhancing the supervision and management of production consistency of intelligent connected new energy vehicles, the two departments put forward the following requirements:

5. Enterprises should accurately and completely fill in key information such as the combined driving assistance system, energy storage device monomers, and assemblies in the motor vehicle certificate system and strictly implement the classified management requirements for software over - the - air (OTA) upgrade activities. OTA upgrade activities must not be carried out without filing, software versions that have not been fully tested and verified must not be pushed to users, and defects must not be concealed through OTA. Enterprises shall also assume product safety responsibilities.

▲ Vehicle OTA upgrade

If an enterprise fails to supplement and submit relevant technical parameters and verification materials as required, the vehicle performance is inconsistent with the submitted technical parameters, OTA upgrade activities are carried out without filing, or there are inconsistencies with the filing, it will be dealt with in accordance with relevant regulations. The State Administration for Market Regulation will conduct key spot - checks and special verifications on enterprises that frequently carry out OTA upgrade activities.

This requirement targets issues such as car manufacturers falsely claiming the cruising range, concealing battery brand differences, having actual functions inconsistent with the promotion, and secretly conducting OTA upgrades at night. It orders car manufacturers to honestly report key vehicle information, file for OTA upgrades in advance, prohibit pushing software that has not been fully tested, and prohibit concealing defects through OTA.

This also means that in the future, it will be impossible for car manufacturers to get by with "post - production patching". The draft for comment requires that the entire process from vehicle production to upgrade must be traceable.

03. Do not imply that assisted driving is autonomous driving, and do not exaggerate vehicle performance in promotion.

In terms of strengthening the supervision of enterprises' advertising activities and commercial promotion behaviors, the draft for comment emphasizes three requirements.

6. When providing consumers with information about the driving automation level, system capabilities, and system boundaries of intelligent connected new energy vehicles, enterprises should be truthful and comprehensive, refraining from false, exaggerated system capabilities, or misleading promotion to ensure that consumers correctly understand and drive intelligent connected new energy vehicles.

7. In the naming and marketing promotion of the combined driving assistance system or functions, enterprises must not imply to consumers that it can be regarded as an autonomous driving system or has functions that it actually does not have to prevent drivers from misusing it.

8. Enterprises should avoid exaggerating the vehicle's driving performance, misleading consumers into driving the vehicle at an unreasonably high speed.

▲ The combined driving assistance system still requires manual takeover

The State Administration for Market Regulation will strengthen the supervision and inspection of situations such as exaggerating the combined driving assistance function, deceiving or misleading consumers in enterprises' advertising activities and commercial promotion behaviors, organize recall technology institutions to conduct technical identification of issues such as excessive promotion, and carry out special joint investigations with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to rectify and standardize the market in accordance with the law.

Previously, when car manufacturers designed and promoted their vehicles' L2 - level assisted driving functions (such as adaptive cruise control and lane centering), consumers might be confused about the capability boundaries and mistakenly think that the vehicle could drive autonomously. Dangerous behaviors such as keeping hands off the steering wheel for a long time, sleeping, and playing with mobile phones while driving could lead to safety hazards.

Considering these three requirements, enterprises must clearly inform consumers that "combined driving assistance ≠ autonomous driving" both in product definition and marketing promotion to prevent accidents caused by drivers' misuse.

04. Strict reporting of assisted driving accidents, and strengthening accident reporting and in - depth investigations.

In terms of strengthening the reporting and in - depth investigation of incidents and accidents involving intelligent connected new energy vehicles, the two departments put forward the following requirements:

9. Enterprises should promptly report safety incidents and collisions that occur during the use of the combined driving assistance system in accordance with the requirements of the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Access, Recall, and Software Over - the - Air Upgrade Management of Intelligent Connected Vehicle Products".

The State Administration for Market Regulation will supervise and inspect enterprises' accident reporting. Once it is found that an enterprise fails to report accident information as required, it will be publicly notified and urged to make corrections. The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will conduct special verifications if an enterprise conceals or omits major facts in the incident and accident reports.

The core of this regulation is that when an assisted driving accident occurs, car manufacturers must report it immediately. Once they conceal the accident, they will face public exposure and special investigations, further blocking the back door for concealing accidents.

05. Conclusion: The standardization of assisted driving is accelerating.

Tightening supervision aims to make assisted driving return to its "assistance" essence, emphasizing safety and user experience.

The accelerating standardization of assisted driving can further ensure the safety of users while driving, promote car manufacturers to advance the layout of assisted driving in accordance with regulations, reduce accident risks and public opinion risks, and also promote the orderly and stable development of the Chinese assisted driving industry.

This article is from the WeChat public account "CheDongXi", author: Guo Yue. Republished by 36Kr with permission.