China has become the first nation to require a change to make it easier to rescue people from car crashes: Car doors must be able to open from either side mechanically, like by lifting a handle.
The rules, which go into effect in 2027, follow international scrutiny of a futuristic design first popularized by Tesla, but adopted by many other automakers, in which door handles are electrically powered and hidden. They lie flush with the vehicle’s exterior until they detect an approaching driver and pop out. They were embraced by automakers for both aerodynamic and aesthetic reasons, but introduced a new kind of vulnerability: They can malfunction after a crash or a battery failure.
As Bloomberg News detailed in an investigative report in September, Tesla’s electrically-powered doors could become impossible to open from the outside in an emergency, forcing responders to break windows to extract survivors.
Fun fact regarding the Jag handle, their really old coachwork vehicles had a small version of the same design. I’m afraid I don’t have a vehicle year to offer but it was probably 1920 or earlier, and about 2 inches in total length, and was definitely a security feature because the latch handles could only be popped out by hitting a small button on the inside of the door. The driver sat exposed in a front seat similar to the Ford model T.