A breakthrough for the largest Chinese manufacturer of zero-emission automobiles that announced that it had abandoned the production of vehicles with only a combustion engine
A decisive shift towards zero-emission vehicles, abandoning traditional petrol engines. This is the turning point of BYD, the leading Chinese electric car manufacturer, which announced on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last Sunday that it will focus solely on electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The company, which in March sold 104,338 cars including 50,674 plug-in hybrid models and 53,664 purely electric models, will still support customers in possession of traditional cars by providing them with service and spare parts until the end of their car’s life. . A decision that underlines the company’s mission, among the six to sign at the last Cop26 together with Ford, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rove, Mercedes and Volvo, the commitment to discontinue combustion engines by 2040.
Brave decision
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A decision that fits into a context in which car manufacturers are looking for new solutions in compliance with climate and energy policies, always at the center of the public debate despite the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that forced plans to be revised. In China, last year, EV and hybrid sales reached 2.99 million, for an overall growth that, in total in the automotive sector, had an increase in sales volumes of 4.4% compared to 2020. A trend that, however, risks a decline due to the decision of the Beijing government which has revised downward the eco-incentives, reduced by 30%.