As Beijing attempts to push its electric vehicle industry to the forefront, automotive manufacturers that do not delve in this sector will see a decline in their sales to the Asian country. China has earmarked $1.5 billion each year for the next 10 years to transform the country into a leading producer of clean vehicles.
This projection has forced Ford Motor Co. to downgrade its growth projection for China’s car market for 2011. "What we said going into the year was that we thought China would grow 5% to 10%. We said that back in December and in fact it’s quite closer to 5%," Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford’s Asia and Africa operations, told reporters in Beijing. The company’s sales fell 7.2% in the first eight months as a result in a weakened demand in the commercial vehicle segment.
Customers still remain unconvinced about the electric vehicle market due to the high costs, limited range, and lack of charging infrastructure – which is also a problem in the US. However, Nissan Motor is actively working on selling its locally-produced electric car, Venucia, in China in 2015 joining other car manufacturers like GM, Volkswagen, and Daimler who are all pursuing alternative energy opportunities in the country.
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