China’s Electric Car Push Lures Global Auto Giants, Despite Risks
Chinese officials said here this weekend at China’s main annual automotive technology conference
that they would introduce policies that would help attract more foreign investment in its new-energy vehicles, giving some hope to foreign auto executives.
Renault-Nissan said that its new joint venture with China’s Dongfeng Motor, called eGT, will design a new electric car
that will be produced at a Dongfeng factory in the Chinese city of Shiyan.
G. M., Volkswagen and other major automakers have made regular cars with Chinese partners for decades,
and China had hoped its automakers would learn how to make their own worldbeating brands.
Chinese officials are also set to impose stringent regulations that would force automakers like Volkswagen and G. M.
to sell new-energy cars in the country if they want to continue selling the old-fashioned gasoline-powered types as well.
Honda Motor is planning to make an electric car in China next year, while Toyota plans to make a plug-in hybrid car in the country.
The Chinese government has put heavy pressure on automakers to build and sell more electric cars powered entirely by rechargeable batteries.