An image of Chinese luxury EV Maextro V800 Photo: Maextro's official website

Three top Chinese regulators announced on Thursday that building on preliminary investigation work, they have established a joint investigation team to carry out verification concerning online reports of the fracture of the brake pedal bracket in the Maextro V800, a Chinese high-end luxury vehicle.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, and the State Administration for Market Regulation said that they have attached great importance to the matter and will handle it in accordance with laws and regulations. Relevant information will be released in a timely manner.

The announcement came amid a controversy started on October 8 when auto information platform Dongchedi posted a video showing the testing of three new Maextro V800s. The video showed that all brake pedal brackets snapped during hard emergency stops from 100 kilometers per hour to zero, according to The Beijing News.

The Maextro V800 is a luxury extended-range electric vehicle in China and is priced at a minimum of 766,000 yuan ($114,452) on its official website.

Following the announcement by the three Chinese ministries, Maextro said on its Sina Weibo account on Thursday that it will comply fully and cooperate completely with the joint investigation team, firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, and firmly uphold the overall development of the new-energy vehicle industry.

Previously, on October 10, the MIIT, together with other authorities, released a draft notice to strengthen management on automotive innovative design and research and development validation. 

It urged carmakers to prioritize safety‑risk assessment at the design stage. Companies must carry out failure‑mode analysis for innovative designs under complex and extreme conditions, the draft notice said.