China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in collaboration with four government bodies, has initiated a nationwide campaign aimed at accelerating the adoption of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in rural areas across the country. The campaign, scheduled to run from May to December 2024, aims to address the current gap in NEV consumption in rural regions and promote green, safe travel while contributing to the development of beautiful villages and rural revitalization.
The NEV rural promotion catalog features an impressive selection of 99 models from leading auto manufacturers, covering a wide range of NEVs including sedans, SUVs, and multipurpose vehicles. The catalog includes models from state-owned heavyweights like China First Automobile Group, as well as newer auto-making powers like Xpeng and several products from BYD.
As part of the initiative, a series of activities such as exhibitions, test drives, and other consumer experiences will be organized to enrich market offerings and provide a variety of choices for rural consumers. The program will also focus on expanding support services such as charging, battery swaps, insurance, claims, credit, and after-sales maintenance to address current infrastructure shortcomings in rural areas.
Policies to encourage NEV adoption, including those related to vehicle trade-ins and improvements to county-level infrastructure, will be implemented as part of the campaign. The initiative will target county-level cities with low NEV uptake rates but high growth potential.
Participation from NEV manufacturers, sales companies, financial institutions, charging and swapping infrastructure providers, and after-sales services enterprises is encouraged. These entities are urged to develop promotional plans aligned with the initiative’s goals and establish comprehensive after-sales service systems to support rural consumers.
The campaign will combine on-site and online activities, leveraging e-commerce and internet platforms to complement physical events with virtual ones, including online exhibitions and live interactions.
China has seen a significant increase in NEV production and domestic sales, with data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showing that NEV production hit 870,000 units and sales reached 850,000 units in April, up 35.9 percent and 33.5 percent year on year, respectively.
In 2023, China’s production and sales of vehicles both exceeded 30 million units, with NEV production and sales surpassing 9.58 million and 9.49 million units, respectively, ranking first globally for a ninth consecutive year, according to CAAM data.
