Comments on: Car sales are up, so why is fuel use flat?

By: Shanghai

Shanghai — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:25:02 +0000

Has anyone ever actually ‘retired’ a vehicle in China, apart from writing it off in an accident?

By: mememe

mememe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:42:35 +0000

OK if the number just comes out from the Chinese authority then their doubt is not groundless but here Ford, Mercedes and other multinational car companies all report wonderful growth of sales in China. It’s hard for one individual to convince everyone when he/she claims something but when a lot of people say the same thing then that clears up the doubt.

By: CCT

CCT — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:22:29 +0000

Agreed. I live about 15 mins drive from QD University, I need to go there every morning by car as in the afternoons I need to get to the office which is quite far away. In 2005 it would take me 10 mins tops, now its 40 minutes. In 2015 the same trip will take me three days.

By: Gerald

Gerald — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:57:42 +0000

Haha, ok I can buy the China-envy theory…

But seriously, a lot of folks here end up not driving their cars to work because of the traffic.

Also, there are those (like me) who purchased a second car to get around traffic restrictions. ie- my net km’s driven didn’t change – they just got split between two cars. And in fact, my total gas consumption has gone down because my second car is more fuel-efficient.

Anyways, I don’t think they’re making up those sales figures. The increase in traffic over the past year here even with the restrictions is staggering.

By: Ed

Ed — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:48:18 +0000

It’s true about India. They are always saying how they’ve matched up to China when they are far far behind. And the Chinese don’t drive as much as the average Amercian. Plus, most of their cars have much smaller and more fuel efficient engines.

By: Go Red

Go Red — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:19:03 +0000

Ha HA, I agree with FrugalOne about the jealous Indians. India is a divided nation with 22 official languages, conflicting religions, and a caste system. They will take maybe a century to catch up with the west. Maybe 50 years to catch up with China.
On another note, since many Chinese car companies partner up with American and European companies like Volkswagen and General Motors, the increase in auto sales figures in China can easily be verified with these “reputable companies”.

By: dragin

dragin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:25:08 +0000

Maybe they are faking those big number F3 sales totals…. and they are really F3DMs

By: FrugalOne

FrugalOne — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:25:53 +0000

OR, the Indians simply cannot accept that Chinese can afford more car than its citizens.

By: Gerald

Gerald — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:18:18 +0000

Another reason, cars were purchased (by individuals) but not necessarily driven.