Market regulator focuses on OTA technology

China is to enhance supervision of Over-The-Air (OTA) technology in the automobile industry to ensure user safety, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced on Wednesday.

The technology enables manufacturers to fix, maintain and improve vehicles through remote software updates downloaded to vehicles from a cloud-based server and, with the development of intelligent and connected technologies in the automobile industry, has been widely applied. 

According to the administration, manufacturers adopting OTA technology shall be filed with its quality development bureau. This includes companies established in China that produce automotive products and issue product certificates in their names, and companies that import automotive products from overseas to sell them in the domestic market.

Automobile companies who use OTA technology to eliminate defects and implement recalls shall formulate a recall plan, file it with the administration and fulfil its recall responsibilities in accordance with the law. If OTA methods fail to eliminate defects or cause new defects, the company should again take recall measures.

When a manufacturer learns that a vehicle produced, sold or imported in the OTA implementation process has been invaded or remotely controlled in the Chinese market, it shall immediately organize an investigation and analysis and report the results to the administration.

Consumers, parts makers, software and system or data service providers can report to the bureau if they learn that manufacturers are using OTA methods to conceal defects or avoid recalls.

The administration is to organize relevant units to strengthen research on automobile OTA safety supervision, explore the establishment of an OTA supervision data platform, organize and carry out OTA safety technology assessments, as well as strengthen supervision of recalls.

Manufacturers failing to file relevant information or recall plans, not cooperating with defect investigations, concealing defects or failing to implement recalls, will be strictly dealt with in accordance with the law, the administration said.