Carmakers urged to offer more eco-friendly vehicles

Carmakers in China should develop more eco-friendly vehicles as the country steps up its decarbonization efforts, said experts and officials on Friday.

Wu Zhixin, vice-president of China Automotive Technology & Research Center, said the automotive industry is a driving force of the nation's green transformation.

He made the remarks when the center's subsidiary Automotive Data of China released the 2022 report on eco-friendly cars in the country and the list of top eco-friendly models for the year.

The report, compiled based on a survey of 25 gasoline and electric models, said major Chinese carmakers have improved the designs of their vehicles and electric vehicles are outperforming their gasoline rivals in terms of eco-friendliness.

Four models won top ratings this year: Nio ET7, Geely Boyue L, Geekr 009 and GAC Honda's e:NP1.

Wu said the center will continue its studies to encourage carmakers to produce and offer more eco-friendly models in the years to come.

Liu Weijun, an official at the State Administration for Market Regulation, said trade associations in the auto industry should play their roles to facilitate the growth of the low-carbon market to ensure the auto sector's green development.

China has been the world's largest new energy vehicle market for seven years in a row, with production increasing from 507,000 units in 2016 to 3.52 million last year.

This has boosted the automotive sector's confidence in achieving peak carbon in 2028, two years ahead of the national target, said Li Jun, head of the China Society of Automotive Engineers.

Li said by 2035 the sector's carbon emissions will be 20 percent less than at their peak. By that year, new energy vehicles are to account for 50 percent of total vehicle sales, of which 90 percent will be electric cars.