Four Chinese ministries opened a year-long audit of vehicle software validation

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published a joint notice on August 27 launching a one-year national campaign on production conformity and quality in road motor vehicles. The document, numbered 工信厅联通装函〔2026〕407号, was executed on August 21 and issued with the general offices of the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the State Administration for Market Regulation.

The campaign named four areas for inspection, one of which covers the validation of new technology. Under it, inspectors are to check whether combined driving assistance and automated driving functions have been adequately test-validated; whether data security, network security and artificial-intelligence safety protections on the product and its cloud platform are adequate and have been planned, built and put into use in step with the vehicle; and whether log retention is complete enough to support investigation of incidents.

An attached work plan set out how the inspections run. It provides for unannounced checks, and lists functional safety, safety of the intended function, cybersecurity, data security and software update among the capabilities examined at makers of intelligent connected vehicles. For over-the-air updates it names impact assessment, test validation, execution assurance and log recording. Testing organizations are to keep test records, images and video for six years, and to video-record the test process.

Manufacturers were told to complete self-inspection and report to provincial authorities by the end of December 2026, and to file recall plans with SAMR where a defect is found. The notice lists software-update management among the gates applied alongside CCC certification and vehicle registration, and sets out sanctions running to suspension of catalog entries and CCC certificates.