China suspends production of 500 car models

Almaty. January 4. Silkroadnews - China suspends the production of 500 car models, the Brisbane Times reported.
“China is suspending the production of more than 500 car models that do not meet its fuel economy standards, the latest move by Beijing to reduce emissions in the world’s largest auto market and take the lead in battling climate change,” the report reads.
The measures taken, as noted, will affect both Chinese automakers and foreign joint ventures, such as FAW-Volkswagen and Beijing Benz. There is no information regarding for how long the production has been suspended.
According to the publication, there are dozens of small-scale automakers in China, some of which produce just a few hundred cars a year, and the central government is trying to consolidate its auto industry, a factor that most likely also played a role in decision on suspension of production.
The Chinese government has already become the world’s biggest supporter of electric vehicles, offering automakers numerous incentives for production of the so-called new energy vehicles. These incentives will be reduced by 2020 and replaced by quotas for the number of clean cars that automakers must sell. This prompted global automakers to quickly switch to the production of electric vehicles.