Comes to something when China is the only sensible adult in the room – the country’s industry ministry has made moves to ban yoke-style steering wheels from cars, the likes of which were popularised by Tesla and subsequently taken up by other manufacturers.
Sounds familiar? That’s because the move comes barely five minutes after China said it was getting rid of flush door handles on similar safety grounds.
The ministry has updated the wording in its legislation on steering wheel safety, amending some of the safety tests needed for certification to sell in the country and changing what movement tolerances are allowed in collisions. It's all in an effort to try and boost safety for people behind the wheel, with some of the design around electric cars outpacing what the rules could handle.
Crucially, yoke-style wheels have been left out of the revised safety standards, meaning only a fully enclosed wheel can meet the rules, which stipulate load tests at various points around the rim to ensure strength.
Like the door handle changes, the new rules for steering wheels come into force on 1 January 2027 for new cars. Cars are that are submitted to Chinese authorities to go freshly on sale after the deadline will have to meet the new regulations, while existing models will be given a grace period to comply.
There have been safety concerns over the open-style wheels, with fears that drivers could bypass the wheel entirely and make contact with hard materials behind. The wheels also make it difficult to get round tighter corners, with drivers potentially struggling to remain in control of their vehicles.
Lexus launched its yoke-style wheel in the RZ electric SUV in the UK just this week (above), combined with a new steer-by-wire system. MG’s sibling company IM has the L7 luxury electric saloon on sale in China with a similar setup (top picture).
Ironically, the cars that started the trend, the Tesla Model S and Model X, have just been pulled off sale following a disappointing year of sales for the Texas-based carmaker.
Electrifying's Tom Barnard will be disappointed, he's been warming up for the new wheels 
