China has issued a mandatory national standard regarding safety requirements for combined driver assistance systems for intelligent and connected vehicles, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Thursday.

The standard sets safety requirements for three types of combined driver assistance systems: basic single-lane systems, basic multi-lane systems and navigation-assisted driving systems. It also specifies baseline requirements covering functions, data recording, vehicle manufacturer safety guarantees, human-machine interaction, user instructions and user training.

The standard was recently approved and released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration. It will take effect on January 1, 2027.

China's intelligent and connected vehicle industry has entered a period of rapid development in recent years. Since the beginning of 2026, the penetration rate of new passenger cars equipped with combined driver assistance functions in China has reached 70%, while that of models featuring navigation-assisted driving, or NOA, has exceeded 30%, according to the ministry.

Organized and administered by the ministry, the standard fills a gap in China's product safety baseline for combined driver assistance systems and will provide key technical support for market access, quality supervision and post-event traceability.

The ministry said it will strengthen market access management for intelligent and connected vehicle products, hold companies more accountable for safety, and accelerate the release and implementation of other mandatory national standards, including those for automated driving systems.