Global carmakers predict future trend of green mobility for China

Executives from global carmakers are convinced a future trend for China is green mobility, but for now, sales of electric and hybrid cars remain sluggish. At the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition from April 21-28, Ford Motor Co. displayed three electrified vehicles. Instead of announcing plans to sell them this year in China, however, the automaker said it will take demonstration vehicles around the country. “It’s going to be the customer pull that drives us to bring these vehicles to the market,” Jas Dhillon, global electric-vehicle fleet manager, said. Some companies are farther along. Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. both have been selling gasoline-electric hybrid cars in China for several years now, although sales remain sluggish, because of their high cost. Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. is looking to team up with its Chinese partner, Dongfeng Motor Group Co., to jointly produce and sell Nissan Leaf electric cars in China after launching a program this year to test market the car. The electrified market in China has been slow to take off because infrastructure to recharge car batteries is not yet in place, in addition to their more expensive price tags than their gasoline counterparts. In some cases, electrification is being spurred by cooperation between foreign and Chinese auto makers, including Honda’s venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. “The target is to produce electric cars in Guangzhou in 2012,” said Guangzhou Auto Chairman Zhang Fangyou, in line with Beijing’s efforts to promote clean energy use in its recent five-year plan. One industry analyst estimates that this segment will account for no more than 8% of the country’s sales by 2020. (April 20, 2011)