The safety of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) is coming under scrutiny in China, where almost two-thirds of the 15 million passenger vehicles sold in 2025 so far feature the technology. On 29 March, a crash involving a Xiaomi SU7 in ‘navigate-on-assist’ mode led to three deaths in the city of Tonglin. The following month, media reports stated China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will restrict the marketing terminology surrounding ADAS going forward, excluding words like “smart” and “autonomous”.

The concern is that while ADAS is reaching a high level of commercial maturity and ubiquity, the parallel advancements in autonomous vehicle (AVs) and robotaxis could cause confusion among consumers. Most ADAS products on the market today are SAE Level 2, meaning partial automation that requires driver supervision at all times. For those who confuse this for genuine autonomous functionality—Level 4+—the results can be fatal.

More broadly, the Chinese government’s decision reflects that automated/autonomous technology is no longer just experimental; it is a real industry that requires careful regulation. How the country moves forward could ultimately produce a blueprint for others to follow.

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