MIIT Bans Unverified EVs From Markets as China Flags Irrational Competition

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has issued a stark warning to the new-energy vehicle (NEV) sector, calling out rampant price wars and a troubling trend of automakers launching products before completing adequate testing.

Xin Guobin, vice minister of MIIT, acknowledged that Chinese NEVs now reach more than 100 countries and have produced several globally competitive brands — making the sector a signature export. But he stressed that the industry faces serious challenges that must be addressed during the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period.

"Irrational competition remains prominent," Xin said at a recent industry briefing. "Some aggressive innovation designs are being applied to vehicles without sufficient experimental verification," and isolated incidents involving vehicle quality and autonomous-driving safety have drawn public attention.

New Rules on Product Validation

The ministry announced it will overhaul its governance framework for the auto industry, including a move toward group-level management of automaker production qualifications. The core new directive is clear: products that have not undergone thorough testing and verification will be barred from entering the market.

MIIT also pledged to strengthen production-consistency inspections and crack down on practices that undermine consumer rights and distort competitive order.

Battery and ADAS Focus

On the technology side, Xin said the ministry will back key enterprises in tackling core technical bottlenecks — particularly improving the low-temperature performance and durability of traction batteries, and raising the safety and reliability of autonomous-driving systems.

The ministry also outlined plans to steadily advance pilot programs for intelligent connected-vehicle access and road trials, as well as vehicle-infrastructure-cloud integration tests, aimed at delivering greener, smarter NEVs to consumers.