SHANGHAI: Chinese automakers have unveiled their ambitious environment-friendly car designs at the ongoing Shanghai Auto Show, reports Xinhua news agency .
The Shanghai Auto Show, which opened to the public on Thursday, has gathered about 45 models of new environment-friendly vehicles – hybrid, electric and fuel cell – from both local automakers and their foreign rivals.
A Roewe 550 plug-in hybrid car displayed at the booth of the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), China’s largest automaker by sales volume, is capable of conserving 50 percent more fuel, compared with its conventional version, according to the company.
Along with the Roewe 550 hybrid are four other energy-conserving vehicles: a Roewe 350 electric car, an E1 electric concept car, a plug-in fuel cell car and a concept car dubbed the Leaf.
SAIC plans to mass produce its Roewe 550 hybrid in 2012 and roll at least 50 plug-in fuel cell cars off assembly lines before 2015, president Chen Hong told a forum on the sidelines of the show. He added that the company aims to control 20 percent of the green car market by 2015.
While, SAIC’s competitor FAW Group displayed nine new green vehicles, and plans to spend US$1.5 billion on developing 16 environment-friendly passenger and business models by 2015, its chairman Xu Jianyi said.
However, although the major automakers in China are ready to embrace the automative industry’s new era, auto experts warn that there are a few hurdles to overcome before alternative fuel vehicles, and electric cars hit the road.
One major consideration for green vehicles is their exorbitant price, said Hou Bo, director of the automotive department with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. (DTTL).
“The prices of electric cars are far above consumers’ expectations, and Chinese car buyers will not pay too much for a green car,” Hou said.
A recent survey by market researcher Synovate China shows that more than 40 percent of Chinese buyers think that prices of electric car parts and components are too high to accept.
In a bid to foster a better environment for the industry, the Chinese government has taken various measures to support the use of environmentally efficient vehicles.
China has carried out experimental programmes on the use of these vehicles in 25 pilot cities across the country, while buyers of green vehicles in five cities, including Shanghai, Changchun, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Hefei, will receive subsidies as high as 120,000 yuan from both the central and local governments.
The biennial Shanghai Auto Show, the 14th since its inauguration, attracted about 2,000 car and parts makers from 20 countries, showcasing 75 new car models, of which 19 made their world premieres.
On Thursday, an estimated 700,000 people visited the show, which will last toApril 28.
- BERNAMA
