China is racing to tighten safety rules for its automotive sector, with a particular focus on new energy vehicles, as part of efforts to promote the healthy development of the industry.

Among other measures, passenger vehicles would be required to start each journey in a mode where the time from 0-100 kilometers per hour is not less than five seconds.

This is one of the items in a draft national standard issued by the Ministry of Public Security and National Standardization Administration. The draft is now open for public comment and could take effect by 2027.

The release follows a spate of high-profile loss-of-control crashes involving high-performance new energy vehicles over the past two years.

Such accidents usually involve young inexperienced drivers and cars that are apparently too fast for them to steer safely.

Chinese NEV makers have often emphasized performance marketing, particularly 0-100 km/h acceleration figures.

Local brands including Aion Hyper, Xiaomi, and Zeekr have models capable of sprints in around three seconds, while vehicles capable of five-second times are increasingly common.

The draft also introduces new protections in three a