China has announced new regulations requiring all vehicles sold in the country to be fitted with mechanical door release systems, effectively restricting the use of hidden, flush door handles that have become common in modern electric vehicles.
The move makes China the first country in the world to formally target the design feature, which was popularized by Tesla and later adopted by several other automakers, including domestic manufacturers Xiaomi and Aion.
Hidden door handles are designed to sit flush with the vehicle body and typically require users to press or swipe to release the handle electronically. Inside the car, doors are often opened using buttons rather than traditional levers.
In a statement released Monday, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the decision was driven by safety concerns, citing difficulties in operating exterior door handles and cases where doors failed to open following accidents.
Under the new policy, all vehicles sold in China must include mechanical release mechanisms for both interior and exterior door handles. The ministry specified that exterior handles must allow sufficient space for a hand to operate the release from any angle, while interior handles must be clearly visible and easily accessible from the occupant’s position.
The regulation does not single out any individual automaker but comes at a time when Tesla — the brand most closely associated with the design — is facing declining global sales and growing competition in China, its second-largest market.
The issue of hidden door handles has drawn increasing scrutiny worldwide. In September last year, Tesla said it was exploring ways to redesign its door-opening systems for emergency situations, following reports of fatal accidents in which rescuers were unable to open vehicle doors.
In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documented complaints from Tesla owners who said they were forced to break windows to regain access to their vehicles after the electronic handles failed. A Bloomberg investigation also identified at least 140 incidents in which people were reportedly trapped inside Teslas due to door-handle malfunctions, some resulting in serious injuries.
While Tesla vehicles are equipped with manual interior door releases for emergencies, similar concerns have surfaced in China. Last year, Xiaomi’s shares fell sharply after a fatal crash involving its electric sedan, with local media reporting possible difficulties unlocking the vehicle’s doors.