Chinese regulators have ordered automakers to stop equipping passenger vehicles with turquoise lights that signal autonomous driving mode, as they violate existing vehicle lighting regulations.
The only permitted exterior light colors are white, yellow, amber, and red, according to GB 4785, a standard that took effect in July 2020.
Enforcement After Years of Use
Li Auto is credited with introducing turquoise lights in 2022, followed by Mercedes in 2023.
The trend then spread across most Chinese brands and even to some Western automakers like Cadillac.
Despite their popularity, the lights have been non-compliant since their introduction. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has now ordered companies to stop using them.
It remains unclear why enforcement took several years, but China's rapid automotive development may have outpaced existing laws.
Instead of updating regulations, authorities are enforcing current standards.
While turquoise lights help indicate autonomous driving, road users have complained about their brightness and placement, sometimes at eye level, causing distraction.
The MIIT is still deciding how to handle the hundreds of thousands of vehicles already on the road with these lights.
Options include allowing them to remain or requiring their deactivation.
