Economy cars with low emission were among the best-selling cars in China in the first five months of the year.
Their popularity stems from soaring oil prices and more preferential government policies on vehicles with low emission.
Statistics with China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that Xiali, manufactured by Tianjin FAW and popular for its low energy-consumption, topped the brand sales list in the first five months with a sale of 81,300, followed by Elantra of Beijing Hyundai with a sale of 73,900.
Among the top 10 brands, five of them were cars with low emission. But there was also a significant leap in the sales of luxury cars with high emission.
The association attributed the rise to China's new tax on luxury cars, which took effect on April 1. It had prompted buyers to rush to buy cars before the implementation of the new tax and expected price rises.
To build an energy-saving and environmentally-friendly society, China has outlined a series of measures to guide car consumption, including the release of restrictions on cars with low emission in some large cities and consumption tax on high-grade cars.
(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2006)
