In a country where 5.2 million cars were bought last year, where nearly 10 million cars are produced each year, and where "environmental protection" is a major buzz word, you might think that the Chinese have been ramping up their cheap, domestic-made hybrid cars. Nope. The only hybrids currently available are Japanese, the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic. And while they're assembled in China, importing the parts from Japan means heavy taxes, which means that these cars costs double in China than what they do in the US. That's why only 417 Priuses were sold in China last year.
Then, at the Beijing auto show last week, GM got lots of press for announcing it would sell its new hybrid in China. But the cost won't be much better than the Prius, around $40,000. For a country where the average car costs less than a quarter of that, where demand is growing for big cars, and where fuel prices are kept artificially low by the government, the future of green cars seems dim.
But enter the Chinese automakers. Yes, big cars are in but so are small and green models, and they have a few that, while still largely concepts, are affordable -- and could be invading overseas markets in the next few years.
As GM was stirring up green buzz for the June release of their Hybrid LaCrosse, domestic companies were showing off their own offerings, with prices starting around $10,000. By 2010, some 30 different hybrid models will be available in China. Good news for China, and because of economies of scale, and Chinese exports, everybo.
BYD: F6DM and F3DM
The "DM" or "Dual Mode" F6DM and F3DM both have a 1.0L gasoline engine combined with a 50kW motor and a 20kW power generator. Their 19.8kWh batteries alone are capable of running 100km, the company says. The FD6M initial cost? 50,000 yuan ($7,150) more expensive than the base model, so in total around 150,000 yuan (about US$21,500). Half the price of the Prius in China now.As Mike points out, this car could beat the Chevy Volt as the world's first plug-in hybrid.
