BEIJING – China, the world’s largest vehicle market, is expected to sell 1.7 million new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the first eight months of this year, up from 600,000 units in the same period last year, Vice Industry the minister said on Saturday.- Advertisement –
At an industry conference in Tianjin organized by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC), the comments were made by Xin Guobin, deputy minister of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. NEVs include battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
NEV makers such as Nio Inc., BYD and Tesla Inc. are expanding manufacturing capacity in China, encouraged by the government’s promotion of green vehicles to cut pollution.
Shin said total auto sales between January and August are expected to exceed 16 million, up about 10% from 2020. But he warned that global auto chip supply shortages induced by the coronavirus still remained a pressure point on China’s auto production.- Advertisement –
He said officials will continue to prevent indiscriminate construction of NEV projects and improve supplies of key metals, including cobalt, lithium and nickel. Automakers must protect vehicle data security and customer privacy, Shin said.
IN photo: Nio electric cars are displayed at a Nio office in Shanghai
