Rural sales boost for new-energy vehicles

Sales of new-energy vehicles in rural areas in the past four months have exceeded 180,000 units amid government policies to boost the industry, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

In July, the ministry announced preferential measures for new-energy vehicles in rural areas that would last until December to boost sales and the rural revitalization strategy.

The ministry said it held five promotional events for rural residents and achieved positive results in Qingdao in Shandong Province, Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, Haikou in Hainan Province, Chengdu in Sichuan Province and Kunming in Yunnan Province.

According to the latest data from China Passenger Car Association, retail sales of new-energy passenger vehicles in China totalled 169,000 units in November, a year-on-year increase of 136.5 percent. Retail sales of new-energy passenger vehicles from January to November reached 903,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 2.7 percent.

The government did not give consumers car purchase subsidies directly. Automobile companies took the initiative to host promotions and cooperate with local government financial subsidies as well as other policies to carry out related activities.

A total of 61 models from 24 auto companies were involved in the activities and promotions were held in rural areas. The State Grid and charging companies provided charging infrastructure support for the activities.

In 2021, sales promotions of new-energy vehicle in rural areas will be improved and are expected to be carried out nationwide. 

On December 10, the Ministry of Commerce said China would be launching a new round of new-energy vehicle sales promotions in rural areas.