In a land of 1.3 billion, in a land of 43.30USD per gallon gasoline, in a land where form is often taken over function, in a land where you can pretty much sell any car EXCEPT hybrids. You would think, that with gasoline being at record highs at the pumps that Chinese people, with their legendary frugality, would be dropping their gas guzzlers en masse in favor of hybrid vehicles, but stats dont lie, and its obvious that a vast majority of Chinese just dont like hybrid cars (yet)
The Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers released statistics today which reveal the lack of appetite for new energy cars in the PRC at the moment. The Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers regard any car that is not a powered by gasoline or diesel as being a ‘new energy car’ that includes full electric cars, hybrid cars, LPG, and hydrogen cars etc. In total, 366 new energy cars were sold in the PRC from Jan to June in 2008, which is actually an increase of 107% over the previous year.
China Car Times believes that once domestic marques such as Chery, BYD, and Geely mass produce hybrid technology into their models, which are then sold on at a reasonable rate, hybrid sales figures will most probably increase dramatically.
I’ve always blamed the lack of uptake in hybrids in China due to price. In the US, outside the Prius, hybrids have been only a minor success. The Prius has been a real success, but I think it is much a fashion statement as a car.
Gas is now 4.30 a gallon?????
Let’s point the finger at the central government’s offering of a paucity of incentives, subsidies, and no grass roots education.
Just as the country folk who are unaccustomed to vehicle traffic, require education in safety, so also do the more sophisticated citizens, in both city and country, require education in greening the Motherland.