China's government has made a new rule. All new electric and regular cars must have normal door handles. This rule starts next year on January 1st. Cars sold in China need handles that people can use with their hands. This includes outside and inside door handles. The car's back trunk is the only part that does not need this. This change is happening because of sad accidents. China is the first country to ban these hidden handles.
The main reason for this rule is safety. People worry that car doors could get stuck. Hidden handles look nice and help cars be more aerodynamic. Companies like Tesla use them. These handles hide in the car's body. However, they need electricity to work. If a car crashes hard or loses power, the handles might not open. This can trap people inside. Sadly, this happened in some bad accidents. One accident involved a Xiaomi electric car. People could not open the door to save the driver. The car then caught fire.
The new rules say cars need a clear way to open doors by hand. The space for the hand must be big enough. Also, cars must have signs. These signs will tell people how to open the doors manually. Some cars already in development have more time. However, new car models must follow the rules from January 1st. This is a big problem for car makers in China. Many popular electric cars have hidden handles. About 60% of the top 100 cars use this design.
The government said the goal is to make cars safer. They want to make sure people can get out of cars after a crash. By having easy-to-use handles, fewer people will get trapped. Car companies will need to change their designs. However, this change should make cars much safer for everyone. China is trying to set high safety standards for cars.