China cracks down on 'autonomous' car claims after fatal accident

Chinese authorities have banned automakers from using terms such as "smart driving" and "autonomous driving" for ads in the country, according to Reuters. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has tightened its rules for advertising driving assistance features following a fatal crash involving a Xiaomi SUV7 (pictured above), which raised concerns about the technology's safety. Based on Xiaomi's report, the vehicle's driving assistance mode was switched on when the vehicle was approaching a construction zone, but the driver took control right before the SUV collided with a concrete barrier. The electric vehicle went up in flames, with the accident claiming three lives. 

Back in 2022, the California DMV accused Tesla of falsely portraying its vehicles as fully autonomous based on the language it used on its website, though that didn't lead to a ban on advertising terms. Chinese authorities announced the new rule at a meeting attended by 60 representatives from the automobile industry. In addition to the new advertising rules, they also announced that they're prohibiting automakers from testing and improving their driver assistance systems via remote software upgrades if they're already in the hands of customers. If the companies want to roll out updates over the air, they'll have to secure an approval for them after conducting a battery of tests. 

As Reuters noted, there's a growing competition in the Chinese automotive industry with companies launching vehicles promising "smart driving" capabilities. BYD, the top Chinese EV manufacturer based in Shenzhen, rolled out a whopping 21 models of electric vehicles in February, with the company's free "smart driving" features being one of their main selling points. These automakers may now have to alter their advertising materials in order to comply with the new regulations.