China Plans to Mandate Physical Controls in Cars, Bans Yoke Steering Wheel

The Chinese government is planning to require physical controls for key functions in cars while banning yoke steering wheels.

Besides power-retractable door handles, it appears that the Chinese government is ready to crack down on several other features in modern cars, this time around being the re-introduction of physical controls for essential functions, as well as banning yoke-style steering wheels.

We’ll start with the physical controls, where CarNewsChina reported that the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is planning to require physical control mechanisms for key functions such as turn signals, window controls, and ADAS function activation.

Expected to be mandatory for only newly-manufactured vehicles starting in July this year, this new ruling will be a revision to the existing national standard GB4094—2016, “Marking of Automotive Control Components, Indicators, and Signaling Devices.”

This latest update adds new types and technical requirements for physical control components, ensuring that controls for these key functions are accessible, usable, and largely blind-operable during driving, without overly relying on visual input and reducing distractions caused by display screens.

This revision started way back in 2023, with several major automakers like Geely, FAW-Volkswagen, BYD, and GWM involved in the draft, which will be released soon for public commentary. Among the functions listed under this draft are lighting (turn signals, hazard lights, and horn), gear shifting, driver assistance, as well as other safety- and emergency-related functions like windshield wipers, defoggers, power windows, emergency call systems, EV power-off switches, and more.

Other detailed requirements for physical controls were also specified, such as dimensions, usability (fixed position, blind operation, haptic/auditory feedback), and reliability (basic functions remain available when the vehicle system crashes/power is lost).

As for the yoke-style steering wheels, this ban comes after China’s MIIT published the approval draft of mandatory national standard GB 11557-202X, “The stipulation protecting drivers from being injured by motor vehicle steering mechanism.”

Set to take effect later on Jan 1, 2027, the new standard notably removes all technical content related to half-steering wheels (yoke steering) instead of just updating them. This removal signals a regulatory caution against unconventional steering wheel designs.

For context, the current regulation (GB 11557-2011) has been in use for over a decade, where it has been deemed inadequate given the flux of new steering wheel technologies emerging. Compared to the previous version, the new standard aligns with international regulations by reducing the horizontal force limit in human module tests to 11,110N, matching UN R12 specifications.

But perhaps the most significant update for this new standard is the elimination of exemptions for human impact testing at ten specific points on the steering wheel, including "the midpoint of the weakest area” and “the midpoint of the shortest unsupported area.” For yoke-style steering wheels, these critical test points physically don’t exist in them, which means that it will be impossible for them to meet the new standard.