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After Hidden Doors, Yoke-Style Half-Steering Wheels Could Go Out of Vogue Soon
China's draft law requires all cars to have circular steering wheels starting 2027 due to safety risks linked to yoke steering wheels, including collision force concentration and airbag hazards.
- China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has drawn up draft legislation to ban yoke-style steering wheels used in road cars, Autohome reports.
- Government testing found yoke wheels concentrate impact forces and are harder to use in urban driving and parking, while airbag deployment may be more hazardous, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said.
- Luxury automakers including Lexus and Tesla revived yoke wheels for a futuristic cabin, with Mercedes-Benz offering a yoke option on the upcoming EQS; Formula 1 uses yokes for compact cockpits and fingertip control.
- Manufacturers may have to alter models bound for China and likely for export markets like Australia if the draft ruling mandates circular steering wheels from next year.
- Industry designers face a clash between yoke-driven cabin aesthetics and regulators' safety priorities as China's regulatory process draft under consideration forces automakers to plan changes ahead of next year.
20 Articles
20 Articles
China will update its vehicle safety regulations and, from 2027, will prevent the approval of cars equipped with yoke-type steering wheels
Popular car feature could disappear from vehicles weeks after China bans 'hidden door handles'
China is looking to ban another popular car feature in the near future which could have a huge impact on some of the most popular manufacturers in the world.Citing concerns around road traffic accidents and the safety of passengers inside vehicles, China has drafted new measures that would ban yoke-style steering wheels.The Chinese Ministry of Industry Information Technology (MIIT) has put forward legislation amid fears that the steering wheel c…
After hidden doors, yoke-style half-steering wheels could go out of vogue soon
China's draft safety update requires full-rim steering wheels from 2027, sidelining yoke designs and reinforcing a regulatory pivot toward practicality over futuristic automotive styling trends.
Steering wheels that do not have a rim in a shape at least similar to a circle are to be banned in China, along with retractable door handles. They will not meet new safety regulations.
The Canberra Times
illawarramercury.com.auThese steering wheels have been banned
Formula 1 yoke-style steering wheels in cars will be been banned in China after government testing found them...
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