MIIT Inspects Chery, NIO, JAC

Gasgoo Munich- The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s Department of Industrial Equipment conducted inspections at Chery Automobile, NIO Automotive Technology (Anhui), and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group between July 30 and 31. The review focused on product safety assurance capabilities and production consistency for road motor vehicle manufacturers. The move aims to standardize industry competition and bolster product quality and safety standards.

Image Credit: Chery Automobile

Inspectors focused on compliance with production admission requirements, specifically examining safety assurance for intelligent connected vehicles, as well as design, development, and manufacturing capabilities. During the process, the team randomly selected sample vehicles and power batteries on-site, dispatching them to accredited agencies for testing against national standards.

The regulatory push follows inspections just a week prior at two Guangdong-based manufacturers: GAC Aion New Energy Automobile and Zhaoqing XPENG Motors. On July 17, the department also convened a meeting with key automakers to map out priorities, including standardizing market competition, tightening production consistency, and launching safety risk screenings.

China’s auto sector is in the thick of a critical transition from sheer scale to global power. As competition intensifies, signs of cut-throat competition are emerging. Some manufacturers are lagging in production consistency, reliability, durability, and the validation of new technologies. Others have been flagged for exaggerated or misleading claims in their marketing.

The crackdown comes as 2026 is a pivotal year for safety standard upgrades. Between January and July alone, authorities rolled out or implemented a series of mandatory national standards covering door handles, power batteries, combined driver assistance systems, side-impact protection, data security, and software updates.

Against this backdrop, the MIIT’s inspections carry significant weight. As the industry enters the "second half" of the intelligentization race, safety oversight is shifting from a narrow focus on the final product to systemic governance spanning supply chains and emerging technologies. The inspections also serve as a real-world stress test of how well companies are adapting to the new standards. The signal is clear: amid fierce market rivalry, regulatory compliance and corporate responsibility are becoming the decisive factors for long-term survival.