China has become the first nation to require that car doors operate using the ancient, mystical technology known as "handles you can pull," ending the brief and deadly reign of doors that require a degree in electrical engineering to open during an emergency.
The new regulations, effective 2027, mandate that car doors must be openable from both sides using manual force—a concept Tesla's chief designer described as "aggressively retro" and "frankly insulting to our vision of a future where everything is slightly harder for no reason."
The rules target the futuristic door handle design popularized by Tesla, in which handles hide flush with the vehicle until they sense an approaching driver and elegantly pop out, or—in the event of a crash or battery failure—remain permanently flush while occupants desperately claw at smooth metal like they're trapped in a minimalist art installation.
"We embraced hidden door handles for both aerodynamic and aesthetic reasons," explained one automotive designer who requested anonymity. "The fact that they also transform your vehicle into a potential coffin was simply an unintended bonus feature."
A Bloomberg investigation identified at least 15 deaths linked to crashes in which Tesla's doors wouldn't open, prompting Tesla to announce they were "working on redesigning" the handles—presumably by adding an actual handle that opens the door, a revolutionary concept in automotive engineering.
The problem extends to interior releases as well. In some Tesla models, the emergency manual release is hidden behind a speaker cover and requires pulling a cable, because nothing says "emergency exit" like a scavenger hunt. When asked why the emergency release wasn't more accessible, one Tesla engineer reportedly said, "We assumed people would just read the manual."
Tesla is far from alone in this design philosophy. According to Consumer Reports, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, Genesis, Lexus, Lincoln, Maserati, and Volvo have all embraced some form of electronic door handles, apparently having collectively decided that mechanical reliability was "too 20th century."
A fatal crash in a Xiaomi vehicle last year, in which the driver was trapped by inoperable doors, renewed attention to the issue. Witnesses reported the driver frantically pushing various parts of the door while bystanders yelled increasingly desperate suggestions like "try the app!" and "have you turned it off and on again?"
The new Chinese regulations will require manual releases to be "not obstructed by other parts of the car and visible" to passengers—a shockingly radical standard that suggests door releases should be discoverable without a flashlight and a YouTube tutorial.
Industry insiders predict automakers will comply with China's new rules by implementing a revolutionary feature they're calling a "traditional door handle"—a mechanical device that, when pulled, physically opens the door through the simple application of force. Early prototypes suggest the technology is viable, though some designers remain skeptical that consumers are ready for such complexity.