Tesla May Make Design Changes as China Moves to Mandate Physical Buttons and Ban Yoke

China moves to mandate physical buttons and prohibit yoke-style steering wheels

China is taking a heavy-handed approach to automotive design, across both exterior and interior elements. The country’s latest proposals could mark the end of ultra-minimalist, screen-first cabins that have characterized many modern EVs.

To boost safety, regulators aim to require the return of physical controls and, in practice, to eliminate yoke-style steering wheels.

Turn Signal, Gear Selector and More

According to newly drafted regulations from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), automakers have pushed touch-screen reliance too far. Beginning in 2027, key safety and driving functions must be operated by physical buttons or switches that are easy for drivers to reach. The current list includes gear selectors, turn signals, hazard lights, and emergency calling (eCall) features. See reporting here.

The rules are specific. These essential controls must provide clear tactile or auditory feedback and have a minimum surface area of 10mm by 10mm (⅜ inch x ⅜ inch).

This would rule out hiding critical functions in touchscreen submenus or using flat haptic-capacitive panels that lack physical feedback. It challenges the interior design approach popularized by Tesla and widely adopted by other automakers, including BYD and Xiaomi.

The Physics of the Yoke Ban

While many drivers may welcome the return of physical gear selectors and turn signals, the most affected component is the yoke steering wheel.

The measure is not about aesthetics but about physics and crash-test performance. The updated safety standard (GB 11557-202X) revises requirements intended to protect drivers from steering mechanism injuries. To comply, a steering wheel must be tested at 10 specific points around its rim.

On a yoke, the upper half of the rim is absent, which prevents the required upper-rim impact tests and leads to automatic noncompliance. Regulators point to significant risks, starting with the way a traditional round wheel serves as a large buffer zone.

Without a complete upper rim, a driver’s body can move past the wheel in a crash and strike the dashboard. They also note that the yoke’s irregular shape and structure can cause unpredictable and potentially hazardous airbag deployments.

Global Ripple Effect

Because China is the world’s largest automotive market, these national rules are likely to drive a broader design reset. Building entirely distinct, China-only dashboard architectures at scale is economically unrealistic for most manufacturers.

For Tesla, which helped usher in both minimalist interiors and the yoke, the effect may be limited. The company already brought back turn signal stalks, and a gear stalk could return as well (although the backup PRNDL buttons (near the dome lights on the Model 3/Y and near the phone chargers in the S/X) may satisfy the rules).

With Model S and Model X production ending, the original yoke is already on its way out. For the Cybertruck, the squircle steering wheel should theoretically meet the new Chinese criteria because, unlike a yoke, it has a fully enclosed, continuous rim that offers the necessary impact points for testing.

Although the regulation remains in draft form, automakers, including Tesla, are likely preparing now for implementation over the next couple of years.

China also recently banned electric-only door handles, which will affect the Model 3 and Model Y.