China's new-energy vehicles on the charge

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on May 24 that new-energy vehicles are crucial for the country's auto industry and that great importance should be placed on the vehicles. His comment boosted new-energy vehicle stocks up to the daily limit on May 26.

China sold a total of 6,853 new-energy vehicles in the first quarter of 2014, a 120 percent year-on-year increase, according to data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on April 22.

Although experts say that sales were mainly boosted by public bodies such as bus operators, with private consumers only accounting for a very small number of sales, automakers still display a passion in the market for green vehicles.

BMW unveiled its all-electric powered BMW i3 at the Beijing auto show in April.

The new sedan will be sold in four Chinese cities initially - Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province and Shenyang in Northeast China's Liaoning Province. The car is expected to be delivered in September, according to a news release BMW China e-mailed to the Global Times on Tuesday.

Although the premium automaker did not reveal how many preorders it received for the i3 in the Chinese market, the president of BMW China, Karsten Engel, has stated that "there are many more customers than suppliers," and more than 28,000 people have applied for a test drive, Reuters reported on May 28.

Engel predicted that China could be the largest market for green vehicles in the world.

To take a lead in this promising market, BMW launched cooperation with State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) regarding the most concerning issue for electric cars - charging facilities.

On May 28, BMW China, State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Co and Expo Shanghai Group announced they will make Shanghai Expo Park an electric vehicle pilot zone, with 50 charging stations that can recharge electric cars of different brands, according to the news release.

The SGCC announced in May their intention to build a headquarters for the national charging network that will cover major expressways.

Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co, a joint venture between German carmaker Daimler AG and Chinese automaker BYD Co, unveiled its electric car Denza in 2012 and may have it in showrooms this very year.

The joint venture was established in 2010 and focuses on new-energy vehicles.

In addition to their joint car venture, the Shenzhen-based company also launched its own electric car BYD e6 in March 2013.

Before selling the e6 to private consumers, BYD placed 800 e6 cars as taxi services in Shenzhen in May 2010, with the car's performance reported as satisfactory, according to Guangzhou-based newspaper Nanfang Daily in April 2013.

Compared with BMW i3, which is an imported car, Denza and BYD e6 enjoy purchase subsidies given both from the central government and local governments.

According to China's subsidy policy designed to encourage green vehicles, when Beijing consumers buy a Denza or BYD e6, they are entitled to receive a subsidy of up to 114,000 yuan ($18,228) from the central government and the Beijing municipal government.