China: Three new important regulations for vehicle manufacturers in China

 

China has published three new automotive regulations:

• Regulations on the Management of New Energy Vehicle Production Enterprises and Product Access
• Requirements for Access Review of Road Motor Vehicle Production Enterprises
• Requirements for Access Review of Road Motor Vehicle Product

The first one specifies   the   relevant   requirements   for enterprises producing new energy vehicles within the territory of the People’s Republic of China  and  their  activities  in  producing  new  energy  vehicle  products  for  use  within  the territory.

The second one specifies  the  specific  conditions  and  capability requirements that must be met when applying for access to road motor vehicle production enterprises.

The third one specifies the specific conditions and requirements that must be met when applying for access to road motor vehicle products.

For instance, in accordance with the first Regulation:

Applicants for new energy vehicle manufacturing enterprise access must meet the following conditions:

(1) They must comply with relevant national laws, administrative regulations, rules, and automotive industry development and macroeconomic regulation policies.

(2) They must be an automobile manufacturer that has obtained access to road motor vehicle manufacturing, or a newly established automobile manufacturer that has completed investment project procedures in accordance with relevant national investment management regulations. Automobile manufacturers producing new energy vehicles across product categories must also complete investment project procedures in accordance with relevant national investment management regulations.

(3) They must possess the necessary production capacity, product consistency assurance capabilities, after-sales service, and product safety assurance capabilities to produce new energy vehicles, and comply with the “Access Review Requirements for Road Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Enterprises” (hereinafter referred to as the “Access Review Requirements”). For large automobile enterprise groups that meet the conditions specified by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the access requirements for their subsidiaries (including subsidiaries and branches) will be simplified, and the access review requirements for subsidiaries of the enterprise group will apply, provided that the enterprise group has unified planning, unified management, and assumes corresponding supervisory responsibilities.

(4) They must comply with the access management rules for conventional automobile manufacturers of the same category.

The second regulation establishes the following requirements:

1.1* Enterprises must complete investment project procedures and construction in accordance with relevant national investment management regulations and comply with relevant requirements stipulated by laws, administrative regulations, and rules.

1.2* Vehicles produced by enterprises must meet technical standards for safety, environmental protection, energy conservation, and theft prevention, as well as safety technical requirements formulated and promulgated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Reliability verification must be conducted in accordance with relevant product access requirements.

1.3* Enterprises must establish an after-sales service management system commensurate with their production and sales scale, establishing and effectively implementing management systems and regulations for personnel training, sales and after-sales service network development, maintenance service provision, spare parts supply, claims processing, operation monitoring, information feedback, vehicle product recalls, parts (such as power batteries) recycling and reuse, customer management, and network security. Enterprises must establish an after-sales service information system, including a spare parts system, and commit to maintaining a sufficient spare parts inventory. Product instruction manuals, repair manuals, disassembly manuals, spare parts catalogs, and lists of specialized repair tools and instruments must be compiled, and the specialized equipment, equipment, and software necessary for after-sales service must be available. Companies should use driving manuals, videos, and other tools to guide users in developing good vehicle usage and maintenance habits. They should clearly inform users of design and usage scenarios and safety precautions, and guide them to familiarize themselves with the safe use limits of batteries, potential safety hazards, and common signs of accidents such as fires. Companies should publicly disclose their after-sales service commitments and emergency response measures on their websites, establish a transparent user complaint information channel, establish a dispute resolution mechanism, respond to user complaints within the promised timeframe, and maintain relevant records. Companies should provide after-sales service in accordance with their public after-sales service commitments, and implement measures to ensure reliable spare parts, repair, and consulting services within the product’s designed lifespan and the company’s promised service period. They should also detail product maintenance items, promptly notify users of maintenance, strengthen quality inspections of key components during maintenance, and conduct at least four annual random safety hazard inspections based on vehicle age and fault alarm information, with relevant inspection records maintained. Companies should establish recycling and reuse channels for components (such as power batteries) and sign relevant agreements with relevant parties to ensure effective recycling and reuse. In the event of a corporate merger or reorganization, the after-sales service provided by the merged or reorganized enterprise must be no less than the after-sales service commitments made prior to the merger or reorganization.

1.4* New energy vehicle and new energy specialty vehicle chassis manufacturers must maintain corresponding records for each new energy vehicle (including chassis) sold throughout the product lifecycle, tracking vehicle usage, maintenance, and repairs. They must also establish a new energy vehicle power battery traceability information management system and track and record power battery recycling.

To find out more about the details of the three above regulations, please do not hesitate to contact the Institute for Global Automotive Regulatory Research.