In today’s “6-month refresh, 1-year full upgrade” development cycle, one uncomfortable truth is emerging in the automotive world: some OEMs are cutting corners on testing.
Environmental validation, durability runs, high-altitude testing — these are not “nice to have.”
They are the foundations of product safety.
Yet under extreme time-to-market pressure, they’re often the first to be compressed or ignored.
Fu Yuwu, Honorary Chairman of the China Society of Automotive Engineers, once criticized this trend bluntly:
“Some companies rush prototypes into production before environmental and high-altitude tests are completed. It’s more surprising if accidents don’t happen.”
As engineers and industry professionals, we all know:
📌 If it hasn’t been validated, it isn’t ready.
📌 Speed cannot replace engineering rigor.
📌 Shortened cycles shouldn’t mean compromised safety.
The race for faster iteration is real, especially in the EV era, but safety validation is not the place to compromise.
The companies that win long-term are the ones that understand this.
Curious to hear from others in automotive:
➡️ Have you seen testing cycles shrinking in recent years?
➡️ How should the industry balance speed and safety?
Some OEMs are cutting corners on testing
Category: Review