China Orders Mechanical Door Handles on All New Cars From 2027

Regulators have been here before: after a wave of post-war roll-overs, the U.S. 1966 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards forced mechanical latches and collapsible steering columns into every car, curbing a stylistic fad—1950s push-button doors—that looked advanced but failed in crashes. China’s decision echoes that episode, but with Beijing now acting as a global standard-setter rather than a fast follower. The measure spotlights two deeper currents: (1) the pendulum swing between design minimalism meant to optimise aerodynamics and the age-old engineering maxim that critical egress must never rely on software or power; (2) China’s growing use of its gargantuan domestic market (over 30 % of global auto sales) to export regulatory norms, just as California emissions rules reshaped engines worldwide in the 1990s. On a century scale this moment matters less for the handles themselves than for what it signals—the shift from Silicon-Valley-style “move fast” product aesthetics toward a safety-first governance model led by the world’s largest EV producer. If history rhymes, expect the 2027 rule to ripple outward, nudging global manufacturers back toward plain-spoken mechanical redundancy even as vehicles become rolling computers.