Intelligent and Connected Vehicle Standards System

The intelligent and connected vehicle (ICV) standards system is an integrated framework of national standards, industry standards, and technical specifications formulated to regulate the technical R&D, production, and regulatory governance of intelligent and connected vehicles. Jointly spearheaded by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the Standardisation Administration of China (SAC), the system takes the "National Guidelines for the Development of the Internet of Vehicles Industry Standards System (Intelligent and Connected Vehicles)" as its blueprint to coordinate the formulation and revision of various standards. Since standardisation efforts commenced in 2015, China has rolled out two editions of the development guidelines, achieving a pivotal leap from "initial establishment" to a "comprehensive upgrade" of the standards system.

Top-Level Design: "Two Editions of Guidelines" and Phased Milestones

China published two successive editions of the "National Guidelines for the Development of the Internet of Vehicles Industry Standards System (Intelligent and Connected Vehicles)" in 2017 and 2023. The 2017 edition accomplished the preliminary tasks of establishing the framework, whilst the 2023 edition was comprehensively upgraded to meet the demands of the industry's next development phase.

The 2023 guidelines set out a clear two-phase objective: by 2025, to systematically establish an ICV standards system capable of supporting combined driving assistance and general autonomous driving functions; and by 2030, to fully form a standards ecosystem supporting the synergistic development of standalone vehicle intelligence and connected empowerment. The National Technical Committee of Auto Standardisation (NTCAS) has initiated the development of over 160 national and industry standards for ICVs, successfully meeting the targets set for 2025.

"Three Horizontal and Two Vertical" Technical Architecture

The ICV standards framework adopts a core technical logical architecture based on "three horizontals and two verticals": Horizontally, it is anchored across three tiers: the intelligent sensing and communication layer, the decision control and execution layer, and the resource management and application layer; vertically, it is underpinned by overarching technical standards, including functional safety, Safety of the Intended Functionality (SOTIF), cybersecurity, and data security. This structure reflects the deep integration and cross-domain synergy inherent to ICV technology.

The standards system spans 3 main categories: Foundations, General Specifications, and Product & Technical Applications. These are further broken down into 14 secondary categories and 23 tertiary categories, encompassing terms and definitions, classification and grading, functional safety and SOTIF, cybersecurity and data security, human-machine interface (HMI), mapping and positioning, sensor perception and data fusion, advanced driver assistance systems, autonomous driving, connected features and applications, as well as resource management and deployment.

Four Core Pillars of Standards Formulation

The standards development roadmap follows four key directions: "Standalone Intelligence — Connected Empowerment — Electronic Architecture — Safety Assurance":

Driving Automation Systems: Encompasses standards for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Driving (AD) systems. ADAS standards cover operational criteria for various driver-assist functions, whilst autonomous driving standards span four main areas: fundamentals, general specifications, critical systems, and product applications. Promulgated standards include "Intelligent and connected vehicles — General technical requirements for automated driving systems" (GB/T 44721-2024), "Test methods and requirements for proving ground of automated driving functions" (GB/T 41798-2022), "Test methods and requirements for real road of automated driving functions" (GB/T 44719-2024), and "Test methods and requirements for simulation of automated driving functions" (GB/T 47025-2026). Meanwhile, the mandatory national standard "Intelligent and connected vehicles — Safety requirements for automated driving systems" is being fast-tracked for implementation on 1 July 2027, converting Level 3 (L3) and Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving safety criteria into verifiable technical benchmarks.

Connected Features and Applications: Primarily sets technical criteria for in-vehicle connected communications and network-enabled applications, covering core technologies such as Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) and vehicle-to-cloud/infrastructure (V2X) integration.

Automotive Electronics: Focuses on standardisation across vehicle electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), automotive electronic environmental resilience and reliability, in-vehicle electronics, and automotive-grade microchips, providing the essential hardware foundation for intelligent connected features.

Comprehensive Safety: Establishes a multi-layered safety standardisation framework for ICVs, incorporating four key safety categories: functional safety (ensuring fail-safe operation during electronic system faults), SOTIF (mitigating hazards arising from design limitations or performance constraints), cybersecurity (safeguarding against cyber threats), and data security (governing data handling and user privacy protection).

Mandatory National Standards

In August 2024, the first batch of three mandatory national standards for ICVs was officially gazetted, set to take effect from 1 January 2026:

GB 44495-2024 "Technical requirements for vehicle cybersecurity": Specifies the requirements for automotive cybersecurity management systems, alongside technical mandates and test procedures for external connectivity security, communication security, software update security, and data security.

GB 44496-2024 "General technical requirements for vehicle software updates": Governs over-the-air (OTA) and workshop software update practices by carmakers to protect consumer rights, setting requirements for user notification, safety safeguards, battery power assurance during updates, and failure recovery handling.

GB 44497-2024 "Intelligent and connected vehicles — Automated driving data recording system": Serves as the technical baseline for accident liability determination and crash investigation, outlining specifications for data recording, storage integrity, and data retrieval.

In June 2026, the mandatory national standard GB 47955-2026 "Intelligent and connected vehicles — Safety requirements for combined driver assistance systems" was officially promulgated, scheduled for enforcement on 1 January 2027. It defines differentiated safety requirements for Level 2 (L2) combined driver assistance systems across three product forms: basic single-lane, basic multi-lane, and pilot assist systems.

Harmonisation with International Standards and Regulations

China has transitioned from an active participant to a leading driver in international ICV regulatory harmonisation. Under the United Nations World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), Chinese representatives have served as Vice Chair of the Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA) since 2019. China also spearheaded the creation of the Informal Working Group on Automated Driving Systems (ADS IWG) and led the formulation of the world's first Global Technical Regulation for Automated Driving Systems (ADS GTR), officially approved and published in June 2026. Within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Chinese experts serve as Conveners for working groups on autonomous driving test scenarios and perception sensors, leading the publication of multiple international standards and technical deliverables.

A dynamic feedback loop of "standards enabling real-world pilot deployments, and pilot programmes driving standard iterations" is now firmly established, ensuring that the ICV standards framework delivers a resilient foundation for sustainable industrial growth and global automotive expansion.