China moves to curb screen-centric car dashboards with new physical-control mandate

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published a draft requiring several safety‑critical in‑vehicle functions to have dedicated, physical controls rather than being accessible only through touchscreens. The proposal targets controls whose rapid and reliable actuation can be impaired by menu navigation or display failures — examples specified include turn indicators, hazard lights, gear selection and emergency‑call mechanisms. The draft goes beyond a simple design preference by prescribing a minimum control surface area (10mm x 10mm), making tactile affordances measurable and enforceable in certification and inspections. For automakers that have embraced centralized, minimalist dashboards, the change will trigger product rework: additions of mechanical or capacitive switches, bezel redesigns to accommodate hardware, or hybrid HMI arrangements that pair screens with physical fallbacks. Component suppliers that retained switchgear capacity stand to benefit from renewed orders, while pure‑software HMI vendors may face redesign costs and longer validation cycles. Compliance will touch multiple certification stages — type approval, in‑service inspection and regulatory testing — because regulators will need demonstrable evidence that functions are both physically present and accessible under realistic driving conditions. The draft does not ban instrument panels or large displays, but it constrains how much safety‑relevant functionality can be delegated to them. The move coincides with other targeted safety interventions from Beijing — notably a recent rule limiting concealed or flush exterior door handles to improve rescue access — underscoring a broader regulatory trend that prioritizes pragmatic safety fixes over styling or aerodynamic gains. Short‑term effects are likely to include specification changes, possible model‑launch delays and higher engineering and validation spend for vehicles destined for China. Over the longer term, consumer expectations and global product strategies may tilt back toward mixed physical‑digital cabins, and multinational manufacturers may standardize China‑compliant designs across markets to simplify development and supply chains. Firms that quickly adapt architecture and testing regimes will minimize disruption; those that resist could face compliance risk, increased costs and constrained market access.