What happened
On July 2, 2026, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) officially released the mandatory national standard 'Safety Requirements for Combined Driver-Assistance Systems for Intelligent and Connected Vehicles.' The standard was approved and promulgated by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the National Standardization Administration on June 27, 2026, and takes effect January 1, 2027. It is China's first mandatory (not recommended) national standard specifically targeting L2 assisted driving AI systems. Key requirements: (1) categorises systems into three types (basic single-lane, basic multi-lane, and pilot/NOA); (2) mandates driver monitoring systems with specific hand-off and gaze-distraction warning timelines; (3) requires data recording and traceability for incident analysis; (4) sets specific technical safety metrics (e.g. obstacle detection at 120m at 80 km/h); (5) prohibits vehicles not meeting requirements from domestic market sale from January 1, 2027. From January 2027, any new vehicle model failing to comply cannot be sold in China.
Why it matters
This converts the L2 driver-assistance AI sector in China from a recommended to a mandatory safety regime — affecting the world's largest automotive market where L2 penetration in new passenger cars reached ~66–70% in 2025. The mandatory data recording and traceability requirements are a significant new AI accountability mechanism for automated driving systems. All automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers selling L2-equipped vehicles in China face a hard January 1, 2027 compliance deadline.
Action needed
OEMs and suppliers must certify all L2-equipped vehicle models against the new standard before January 1, 2027. Immediately audit driver monitoring system specifications, data recording capabilities, and HMI warning timelines against the three-tier system categories. Any vehicle model not compliant by January 1, 2027 cannot be sold in China.