China car parts certification for certain vehicle parts will be issued by the Certification Alliance for Vehicles (CAV) as of July 1, 2024, onwards.
The voluntary certification process with a certification organization such as the China Quality Certification Centre (CQC) or the China Certification Centre for Automotive Products (CCAP) remains unchanged.
This means that motor vehicle parts manufacturers will continue to apply for voluntary product certification through a Certification Body that will then issue the voluntary product certificate in the name of the CAV. Once the certificate is issued it will be filed on the Alliances’ website.
How does this impact motor vehicle part manufacturers?
Announcements were made by the Alliance’s various Certification Bodies (e.g., the CCAP on June 30th and the CQC on July 2nd) that:
- From 01 July 2024, CAV certificates will only be issued for vehicle parts that have a published CAV implementation rule (see the table below for the vehicle parts that are affected):
- from this date Alliance member organizations will no longer issue certificates in their own name. The certificate will be issued in the name of the Certification Alliance for Vehicles and delivered by the various Certification Bodies
- once issued, all certificates will be available on the CAV website @: http://www.cav-online.com.cn
- This does not affect the validity of certificates already issued by alliance member organizations such as the CQC and the CCAP:
- it is not mandatory to apply for a new CAV-issued certificate
- upon request, a valid certificate can be converted to a CAV issued certificate. The participating Certification Bodies have announced that they will do this free of charge.
- The certification process for obtaining a CAV certificate or receiving a factory inspection remains unchanged.
Key benefits of this revised system of issuing China car parts certification (voluntary certification)
- Motor vehicle parts with voluntary certificates issued by the CAV are now recognized and accepted by all Alliance members.
- Previously, car manufacturers faced challenges as certain Certification Bodies did not accept or recognize certificates from other bodies or unaffiliated labs due to consistency and traceability concerns. This forced car manufacturers to request their motor vehicle parts suppliers to switch Certification Bodies, amend test reports or provide additional information. This led to significant cost and workload, and at times even required starting the certification process from scratch (application, type testing and factory inspections).
Published CAV implementation rules (affected products)
The following regulations have been published:
| No. | Product group name | Implementing rule document code* |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safety Belts of Automobile | CAV-01-2023 |
| 2 | External Lighting and Light Signaling Device of Motor Vehicles | CAV-02-2023 |
| 3 | Indirect Vision Device of Motor Vehicles | CAV-03-2023 |
| 4 | Seats and Head Restraints of Automobile | CAV-04-2023 |
| 5 | Vehicle driving recorders | |
| 6 | Vehicle Reflective Marking | |
| 7 | Automotive Safety Glass | CAV-10-2023 |
| 8 | Horns of Motor Vehicles | CAV-09-2023 |
| 9 | Brake hoses for motor vehicles | CAV-08-2023 |
| 10 | Fuel Tanks for Motor Vehicles | CAV-06-2023 |
| 11 | Retro-reflector for Motor Vehicles | |
| 12 | Interior Materials for Motor Vehicles | CAV-05-2023 |
| 13 | Door Locks & Door Retention for Motor Vehicles | CAV-07-2023 |
| 14 | Triangle warning sign | |
| 15 | Performance of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Engines | |
| 16 | Safety of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Engines | |
| 17 | Hydrogen filling port for fuel cell vehicles |
*If no regulation is listed for a product group, this means that no CAV certificate can be issued for this product group at present.
Background: about China’s Certification Alliance for Vehicles
Established under the supervision of SAMR (State Administration for Market Regulation) at the beginning of 2022, the Motor Vehicle Certification Alliance (CAV) held its inaugural meeting on August 29, 2022. The CAV’s core members include:
- China Quality Certification Centre (CQC)
- China Certification Centre for Automotive Products (CCAP)
- China Automotive Quality Control (CAQC)
- China Automobile Institute Kerry Testing and Certification (Chongqing) Co, Ltd. (CCARI)
The alliance aims to improve the recognition of certification results, reduce the bureaucratic impact on companies, exchange best practices to enhance manufacturing quality and promote technological progress.
Further information
Read the original CCAP announcement on China Car Parts Certification – Certification Alliance for Vehicles (CAV).
Read the original CQC announcement on China Car Parts Certification – Certification Alliance for Vehicles (CAV).
Read our previous article on China motor vehicles CCC Certification fourth Revision and Implementation Requirements update.
Contact Cisema if you would like to learn more about our services for voluntary product safety certification.
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