Cars with an engine size of less than 1.6 liters accounted for
60 percent of Chinese car sales last year, latest industry
statistics show.
"The rise in sales of low-emission cars was due to high oil
prices and government policies favoring small cars," said a report
from the China Association of Auto Manufacture.
China raised the price of processed oil several times last year
and some cities have removed restrictions on driving routes open to
small-engine vehicles in recent years.
About 328,000 cars with an engine size of below 1.0 liters were
sold last year, accounting for 8.6 percent of the total domestic
sedan sales, said the report.
Cars with an engine size of between 1.0 and 1.6 liters took up
about half of the total sedan sales.
Of the ten best-selling brands, six were economy cars, including
Jetta, Buick Excelle, Elantra, Xiali, Cherry QQ and Cherry
Cowin.
China's car sales went up 37 percent to reach 3.83 million last
year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2007)