Brake-pedal failures in luxury EV put Chinese cars’ quality in regulatory spotlight

A safety issue discovered in tests of a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) produced by a brand backed by Huawei has raised concerns about the quality and reliability of these vehicles, which many view as a symbol of national pride. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), along with three other agencies, unveiled draft rules on Saturday aimed at regulating the testing of new car models.

This came after a video released on Thursday by a ByteDance-owned car-information platform showed that brake-pedal brackets on all three Maextro V800 EVs used in an emergency braking test from 100km/h snapped. The Communist Party's official newspaper, People's Daily, emphasized in a commentary on Sunday that "a car's brake pedal should absolutely never fail while driving."

While the details of the failures are still under investigation, the newspaper highlighted the significance of strengthened oversight of China's rapidly developing EV industry, describing the MIIT's proposed rules as a robust response to safety risks on Chinese roads. The Maextro V800 multipurpose vehicle, one of the most expensive EV models in mainland China, costs 766,000 yuan (US$114,462) and was assembled by JAC in Anhui province, with technology supplied by Huawei through its Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance.

The brand stated it would address the brake pedal issue by the end of the month. The draft rules published on Saturday called for extensive testing, such as 30,000km of road testing, before any new model could be offered to consumers. Analyst Gao Shen in Shanghai noted that the Maextro issue has heightened consumer worries about car safety, serving as a wake-up call for Chinese carmakers and supply-chain vendors to prioritize quality over innovation.

The March 2025 fatal crash of a Xiaomi EV and subsequent safety recall involving over 60 carmakers prompted government discussions on autonomous driving technology and marketing. Despite concerns, Chinese carmakers and suppliers are seen as leaders in EV technology and production, driven by government support and consumer demand for innovation.

In August, MIIT vice-minister Xin Guobin announced stricter approval procedures for new auto products and technologies, warning that those released without sufficient testing and verification would not be allowed into the market. Beijing is also conducting a nationwide inspection campaign to evaluate the quality of Chinese-made cars.