Beijing steps up promotion of new-energy cars

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-04-08

A new energy car on charge during a promotional event in Kunming,
Yunnan province, April 3. (Photo/CNS)

Chinese vice premier Ma Kai recently visited Shenzhen to promote new-energy cars and hosted a work conference for the industry, signaling the central government's determination to promote new-energy vehicles, reports the Guangzhou-based Southern Daily.

Ma said many problems remained in the development of the sector, including a lag in the construction of charging facilities, insufficient support from government policies, an incomplete profitability model, local protective barriers, as well as a relatively low price-performance ratio.

The conference in Shenzhen was attended by several government agencies, including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance and the National Energy Administration, as well as high-ranking officials from 19 provincial cities, the paper said.

Ma previously visited Shenzhen as well as Hefei and Wuhu in eastern China's Anhui province in January, to inspect the development of the new energy automotive industry. During the trip, he paid visits to 10 local electric car makers, including BYD, JAC Motors and Chery Automobile.

"I learned a lot during my visit to Shenzhen and Hefei in January," Ma said, adding that Beijing is determined to stimulate the new energy automotive industry.

Meanwhile, local protective barriers, which have been major obstacles to the sector's development, have been resolved gradually through Chinese high-ranking officials' promotion of new-energy cars, the paper said.

Firts-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have recently partly allowed the entry of non-local brands for formulating new measures related to new-energy cars, which has significantly expanded market demand.

According to public figures, 1,738 new-energy cars were sold in February this year, up by 1,682 from a month ago. Shenzhen-based BYD said its Qin, a plug-in hybrid compact sedan, reported sales of 834 units in February and the company also sold 238 of its e6 during the same period. Since the company's new-energy cars went on the market in December last year, BYD has sold over 6,000 vehicles. However, the company's most popular cars are still not permitted to be sold in Beijing.