China automotive industry adopts rapid development cycles

The Chinese automotive industry has adopted the term ‘speed-driven vehicles’ (xe tốc thành) to describe models released to the market with compressed development cycles. To maintain market share and avoid slow launches, manufacturers have reduced the typical five-year development period to just 18 months.

This acceleration involves cutting critical stages such as prototype manufacturing, extreme temperature durability testing, and long-distance road trials. Companies often rely on over-the-air (OTA) updates to fix issues after the vehicles have already been delivered to consumers.

Industry experts, including Beijing Hyundai General Manager Li Fenggang, have warned that this practice effectively turns consumers into test drivers. Reported consequences of this trend include unusual noises, electrical system errors, risks associated with driver-assistance functions, and inconsistent production quality across different batches. Regulatory bodies are currently working to establish new standards to address these safety and quality concerns.