Xinhua Silk Road - Belt and Road Portal, China's silk road economic belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Website Xinhua Silk Road - Belt and Road Portal, China's silk road economic belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Website
Subscribe CustomBlackClose

Belt & Road Weekly Subscription Form

download_pop

Research ReportCustomBlackClose

The full edition of the report is available at Xinhua Silk Road Database. You can click the “Table of Content” to have a general understanding of it.

Click on the button below to create your account and get immediate access to thousands of articles.

Start a Free Trial

Xinhua Silk Road Database
Industry

Economic Watch: China's NEV industry to see intensified competition with shrinking subsidies

July 26, 2019


Abstract : China's new energy vehicles (NEVs) sector is set to witness more intensified competitions as the country has been slashing subsidies for green cars, according to analysts.

BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China's new energy vehicles (NEVs) sector is set to witness more intensified competitions as the country has been slashing subsidies for green cars, according to analysts.

Starting June 26, subsidies to NEV buyers may decrease as much as 58 percent, according to a document released earlier by the Ministry of Finance.

The move came as China has been cutting subsidies for the NEV sector since 2017, which were expected to be completely scrapped by 2020.

The subsidy withdrawal was adopted given that China's NEV industry has begun to take shape, said Zhou Yi, an assistant researcher of the Development Research Center of the State Council.

Thanks to the policy support, China's NEV sector has expanded robustly, with sales surging to more than 1.26 million units by the end of 2018 from fewer than 10,000 in 2009.

With lower subsidies, Chinese NEV manufacturers will face intensified competition not only from fuel vehicle producers but also domestic and foreign NEV companies, Zhou said.

Currently, profit margins of the NEVs are rather low compared with traditional fuel vehicles while the cost of manufacturing will increase significantly after the subsidy drops, said Chen Shihua, an assistant to the secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

As a result, the prices of green cars are bound to rise, according to Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association.

Besides, more foreign NEV brands have entered the Chinese market after the government relaxed restrictions on foreign investment in the auto market since 2019, which will also increase the competitive pressure on domestic producers.

Market demand for green cars is likely to shrink in the short run, said Lu Fuyong from the University of International Business and Economics, noting that uncertainties still exist concerning the great amount of capital attracted by the fast-rising NEV market and whether it will stay active or not as the green car market levels off.

Commenting on challenges brought by the policy change, Lu said the way to win out in the fierce market competition for NEV manufacturers lies in improving the quality of products and offering better technical services.

The rapid advance of science and technology revolution brings a more intense integration between the latest information technology and the auto industry, said Shi Jianhua, deputy secretary with CAAM, suggesting the NEV manufacturers should try harder in making their products smarter to attract more consumers.

In the first half of 2019, a total of 617,000 units of NEVs were sold, up 49.6 percent year on year.

Chen maintained a cautiously optimistic forecast of green car sales for 2019, estimating that they would reach 1.6 million this year.

Scan the QR code and push it to your mobile phone

Keyword: NEV new energy vehicle

Reading:

Magna, BAIC Group to establish JV for NEVs in east China

China Focus: Auto expo shows fierce competition in Chinese market

China's NEV industry likely to face reshuffle in H2

Haikou starts NEV charging facility construction, to meet 10,000+ electric vehicle charging needs

French automaker Renault, Jiangling Group co-build joint venture for NEVs

Write to Us belt & road login close

Do you want to be a contributor to Xinhua Silk Road and tell us your Belt & Road story? Send your articles to [email protected] and share your stories with more people.

Click on the button below to create your account and get im http://img.silkroad.news.cn/templates/silkroad/en2017te access to thousands of articles.

Start a Free Trial

Ask Us A Question belt & road login close

If you have any questions, please enter them in the box below.

Identifying code Reload

Write to Us belt & road login close

Do you want to be a contributor to Xinhua Silk Road and tell us your Belt & Road story? Send your articles to silkroadweekly@xinhua.org and share your stories with more people.

Click on the button below to create your account and get im http://img.silkroad.news.cn/templates/silkroad/en2017te access to thousands of articles.

Start a Free Trial