Quality and safety stressed as R&D cycle speeding up

Geely showcases its AI digital chassis at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area auto show in Shenzhen on May 31. CAO YINGYING/CHINA DAILY

Automakers in China are shortening development cycles and launching new models more quickly to better respond to changing consumer demand, but industry experts said faster iteration should be backed by more robust testing and quality management to ensure long-term safety and reliability.

The faster pace is reflected in both shorter development cycles and a growing number of new vehicle products. According to a McKinsey report, the development cycle for new vehicles in China has been shortened to about 24 months from around 60 months in the era dominated by traditional fuel vehicles.

A catalog released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on June 10 included about 65 new passenger vehicle products, compared with 52 in May.

Annual product updates have become increasingly common among automakers, especially new energy vehicle brands. These may take the form of all-new models, upgraded versions or incremental functional improvements, including larger battery packs, driver-assistance systems and in-car software.