After electronic door handles that sit flush with the body and return to the panel line after use, Chinese regulators are preparing to clamp down on another high-profile design trend in modern vehicles. This time, the focus is on steering wheels that do not form a complete circle, specifically yoke-style designs that remove the upper portion of the rim and resemble aircraft controls.
These yoke-style wheels have become a visual shortcut for futuristic interiors, and they also echo what drivers see in some race cars. But their spread into road cars has largely been driven by two technical shifts that manufacturers have been eager to spotlight.
Why Automakers Started Pushing The Yoke
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The first factor is the industry push toward advanced driver assistance and, eventually, more capable autonomous driving. Tesla and other companies that emphasize hands-off or hands-light driving argue that the traditional steering wheel is less central than it once was. In that context, reducing the wheel to a yoke can be framed as a natural evolution, especially when the vehicle is meant to do more of the driving workload.
The second factor is steer-by-wire technology. Instead of a conventional mechanical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels, steer-by-wire uses electronic signals and actuators. One of the claimed benefits is the ability to reduce how much the driver must rotate the steering control. Lexus, for example, has promoted this approach in recent products. With less steering rotation needed, manufacturers can argue there is less functional need for a full circular rim, which helps explain why several Chinese automakers have embraced the yoke concept in their newest models.
Real-World Complaints And Safety Concerns
In practice, many drivers find yoke-style controls awkward in exactly the moments that demand confidence and precision. Tight parking maneuvers, quick low-speed turns, and one-hand driving can all become more difficult when there is no upper rim to grab during hand-over-hand steering. What looks clean in a studio photo can feel frustrating in everyday use.
Regulators are also raising safety concerns. One issue is how the steering control interacts with the driver airbag during a crash. The missing upper section can reduce the effective cushioning space that helps manage how the airbag deploys and contacts the driver. Another concern is that unusual steering wheel structures, especially when built with rigid metal or hard plastics in unconventional shapes, could increase the risk of debris or fragments if the airbag deploys with force.
The Draft Standard That Could End The Trend
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Chinese crash injury data cited by authorities indicates that 46% of driver injuries involve steering mechanisms, which is one reason lawmakers have been paying close attention to steering system design. A new draft regulation, identified as GB 11557-202X, sets additional safety rules for steering systems.
A key part of the proposal involves limits on how far the steering wheel is allowed to move when it contacts the driver after the airbag has deployed. The testing procedure calls for measurements at ten control points on the steering wheel. Some of those points physically do not exist on yoke-style designs because the upper rim is missing. As a result, steering wheels without the top section would automatically fail the required measurements, making them ineligible for type approval and effectively banned from homologation.
Effective Date And The Transition Window
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The new requirement is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. For vehicles already approved before that date with yoke-style steering controls, regulators plan to allow a 13-month transition period. That window is intended to give automakers time to redesign and introduce a conventional full-circle steering wheel, the form drivers have known for decades.
If the rule is implemented as written, it would represent a major setback for one of the most visible interior design signatures of the current EV era, and it would push manufacturers toward more traditional hardware even as they continue promoting high-tech driver assistance and steer-by-wire systems.
This article originally appeared on Autorepublika.com and has been republished with permission by Guessing Headlights. AI-assisted translation was used, followed by human editing and review.
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