The world's inaugural national standard for automotive door handles, titled the Safety Technical Requirements for Automobile Door Handles (GB 48001-2026), has received approval and been officially released. It will come into effect on January 1, 2027. This standard is designed to tackle the safety risks associated with concealed and electronic door handles. It lays out explicit stipulations regarding mechanical redundancy, operational space, clear identification, and structural robustness of door handles. For instance, both interior and exterior door handles are required to be equipped with mechanical release mechanisms to guarantee manual door opening in extreme scenarios, such as power outages. Exterior door handles must also provide a hand-operation space of no less than approximately 30 cubic centimeters. Interior mechanical handles should be conspicuously placed and clearly labeled. Additionally, door handles must satisfy specific mechanical strength criteria.

The new standard establishes a transitional phase for automakers. For new vehicle models seeking approval, they must adhere to all requirements, except for the 'hand operation space' provision, from January 1, 2027, and must fully comply with all requirements by January 1, 2028. As for already-approved models currently on sale, they must undergo rectifications to meet all standard requirements by January 1, 2029. Several automakers have announced that their latest door handle designs already align with the new national standard.