Gasgoo Munich- On August 27, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) issued a proposal to enhance production consistency and quality and safety levels. The initiative outlines six key tasks: upholding safety baselines, strengthening standard-setting, and tightening quality controls. It also includes optimizing supply chain management, regulating technical innovation, and standardizing marketing while accepting public oversight.
This marks a swift response from the industry organization to a joint campaign by four government departments. The move aims to further regulate production consistency and improve quality standards.
The penetration rate of new energy passenger cars in China has exceeded 60%. However, rapid expansion has been accompanied by increasingly irrational competition.
"Some automakers are engaged in unregulated price wars, and homogenization is intensifying," said Xin Guobin, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), at a briefing on August 26. He noted that some "aggressive" innovations are launched without full verification. This has led to frequent product quality and autonomous driving safety incidents. There are even cases of "rushed" vehicles, where companies reduce verification efforts to seize market opportunities.
Against this backdrop, the CAAM initiative addresses key industry issues. It explicitly urges resisting irrational competition and abandoning a "quick success" mindset. The goal is to integrate quality and safety into every stage of the production lifecycle.
Regarding innovation, the proposal calls for a system to trace and assess technical risks. It requires comprehensive verification of new designs and strict prohibition of "pseudo-innovation." It emphasizes rigorous testing and safety assessment for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving functions.
Automakers must take full responsibility for supply chain management. Parts suppliers must strictly control quality at the source to prevent substandard products from entering the market.
Notably, on the same day the initiative was released, the MIIT and three other departments issued a joint notice. This launched a year-long nationwide campaign targeting four areas: production consistency, reliability, durability, and new technology verification.
From regulators to industry associations, these actions send a clear signal: China's auto industry is shifting from a focus on "speed" to a focus on "quality". Quality and safety are the baseline.
