The Chinese government has decided to make it mandatory to install physical buttons due to excessive touch screens on cars, so what should I do with Hyundai Motor's Pleos...'

*This content was translated by AI.

The Chinese government has put the brakes on the minimalist trend of car interior design. Recently, China's Ministry of Industry and Information (MIIT) announced a new revision of national standards that would force automobile safety functions to be manipulated with physical buttons or switches, signaling a radical change in the "screen-oriented" interior design that has driven the industry. The move comes after concerns that the large touch screen-centered operation method, which has been led by electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla and Xiaomi, could distract drivers and threaten safety in an emergency.

The key to the regulation is the restoration of intuitive physical controls that allow drivers to operate without taking their eyes off the road. According to the amendment, turn signal, emergency light, gear transmission, and emergency call function (eCall) must be installed in the form of a physical button or switch. In particular, the size of each button should be at least 10mm x 10mm, and detailed regulations were included that tactile or auditory feedback should be provided so that the driver could immediately recognize whether it is operating or not. This is interpreted as a virtual ban on simply hiding functions in submenus of touch screens or replacing them with capacitive touch panels without haptic reactions.

China's move is closely related to a series of recent safety accidents. Previously, China announced a standard (GB 48001-2026) that bans embedded (pop-up) door handles, which often caused passengers to be trapped due to power cuts in the event of an accident, and requires mechanical release devices to be prepared inside and outside. This button mandate is also an extension of that, and it seems that it is putting a blade of regulation on all unconventional design elements that deviate from the existing safety common sense, such as yoke-style steering wheels.

Management and supervision of autonomous driving technology will also be strengthened. Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving systems must demonstrate the same level of safety as skilled and attentive human drivers, and the vehicle must be designed to reach a minimum risk condition on its own in the event of a hazardous situation where the system is unable to respond or a driver's disregard for intervention requests. Manufacturers will be obliged to submit formal safety case reports demonstrating their ability to respond in high-risk scenarios as well as day-to-day driving.

Industry experts believe that the decision by China, the world's largest automobile market, will have a profound impact on global standards. With Euro NCAP, a European new car safety assessment agency, already deciding to reflect the presence or absence of a physical button in the evaluation items starting in 2026, China's compulsory legalization is expected to signal a strong pressure on automakers to review interior design entirely. Many manufacturers, including Tesla and Hyundai Motor's Pleos, have removed physical buttons to reduce production costs and build high-tech images, but now they face a turning point in the times when they have to return to "classical buttons" for the essential value of safety. The regulations will be implemented in stages within the next few years after collecting opinions, and are expected to be applied in earnest from new cars released after 2027.

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*This content was translated by AI.