BEIJING – China, the world’s biggest vehicle market, is expected to sell 1.7 million new energy vehicles (NEV) in the first eight months of this year, up from 600,000 units in the same period last year, the vice industry minister said on Saturday.
The comments were made by Xin Guobin, vice-minister at China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, at an industry conference in Tianjin hosted by China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC). NEV includes 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 greener vehicles to cut pollution.
Xin said overall auto sales are expected to hit over 16 million vehicles between January and August, up around 10% from 2020. But he warned that the coronavirus-induced global auto chip supply shortage still remains a pressure point on China’s auto production.
