China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has proposed a new mandatory safety standard, effective January 1, 2027, that effectively bans yoke-style half-steering wheels following recent scrutiny of flush door handles. This style of steering wheel was pioneered by Tesla and was adopted by multiple automakers in the Chinese market.
The draft regulation, replacing a 2011 standard, tightens crash safety requirements across multiple areas, aligning steering impact forces with international norms and capping horizontal force at 11,110 newtons per UN rules. It also limits steering column movement during impacts. Impact testing now mandates checks at 10 specific points on the steering wheel rim, including the weakest and shortest unsupported sections, points absent on yoke designs like those optional on Tesla models.
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Officials reference accident statistics showing 46 percent of driver injuries stem from steering mechanisms. A traditional round steering wheel offers a broader buffer if the driver lurches forward in a crash, while a yoke's missing top half risks the body slipping past the rim in secondary impacts. Airbag deployment adds concerns, as yoke structures can create unpredictable fracture patterns and hard projectiles during inflation.
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Beyond crashes, regulators note practical issues: road cars demand large steering inputs for parking and U-turns, unlike Formula 1 vehicles, leading to complaints from Tesla drivers about urban maneuvering. Lexus's RZ SUV counters this somewhat with high gearing at low speeds via steer-by-wire, but the rules target broad compliance.
Starting in 2027, new vehicle models for sale in China must comply with updated standards, allowing existing vehicles approximately 13 months to make necessary adaptations. Tesla continues to provide a yoke steering wheel in the soon-to-be-discontinued Model S and Model X. Additionally, the Lexus RZ features a yoke steering wheel that incorporates a new drive-by-wire system.