• The draft standard would designate turquoise for automated driving system marker lights, allowing optional installation on vehicles with Level 3 or higher systems.
• The proposed standard would take effect on January 1, 2028, and restrict text and facial displays on vehicle lights, along with certain voice and gesture controls.

China is proposing uniform rules for external lights that signal automated driving status, allowing vehicles equipped with Level 3 or higher automated driving systems to carry optional turquoise marker lights.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Tuesday opened public consultation on 5 mandatory national standards, including the Requirements for installation of the external lighting and light-signalling devices for motor vehicles and their trailers. The consultation closes on December 19.

The draft vehicle lighting standard adds requirements for automated driving system (ADS) marker lights, designating turquoise as their dedicated color and setting rules for installation and operation.

Under the proposal, vehicles equipped with Level 3 or higher automated driving systems may have ADS marker lights installed at the front, rear and sides. Installation would be optional, rather than mandatory for all eligible vehicles.

The lights would switch on automatically when Level 3 or higher automated driving is activated and switch off when the system disengages. Manual activation or deactivation would not be permitted.

The proposal provides a clearer standards framework for what the industry commonly calls "little blue lights," linking their use to the operating status of Level 3 or higher automated driving functions.

Several automakers have adopted external lights to indicate when driver-assistance systems are operating. However, the lack of uniform rules on color, brightness and placement has raised compliance concerns.

Reports circulated in July that the MIIT had ordered passenger vehicles to stop being fitted with "little blue lights" because they did not comply with the existing GB 4785 standard.

Yicai at the time cited an automaker insider as saying that newly certified models had been barred from using such lights since July 27. The MIIT did not issue a public document on the matter at the time.

Beyond ADS marker lights, the draft would also restrict what external vehicle lights can display. Except for illuminated logos, lights would be prohibited from displaying text or forming expressive human faces, animal faces or other anthropomorphic patterns.

The draft would ban gesture controls for specified categories of lights, as well as voice commands to turn them off. When lights are switched on by voice command, the vehicle would need to indicate the location of the corresponding manual switch.

It also proposes prohibiting turn signals and reversing lights from being reciprocally incorporated with brake lights or rear fog lights. Signal lights with variable intensity would need to adjust brightness across the entire lamp, rather than by switching individual light sources on or off.

The accompanying explanatory document recommends that the standard take effect on January 1, 2028. Transition periods would vary according to the technical provision and whether a vehicle model has already received type approval, with up to 48 months allowed for some requirements.

The proposals remain open for public comment, with the final provisions and implementation arrangements yet to be determined.