China's Electric Carmakers Bloom At Beijing Auto Show

Auto executives from across the globe are plugging their plans for an electric car future in China at the Beijing auto show, but they will find their Chinese counterparts are already motoring ahead.

Beijing, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Apr, 2018 ) :Auto executives from across the globe are plugging their plans for an electric car future in China at the Beijing auto show, but they will find their Chinese counterparts are already motoring ahead.

Local carmakers and upstarts flaunted their latest plug-in models at the industry extravaganza this week, from sedans to SUVs and futuristic supercars fitted with the latest gadgets. While American, Japanese and European auto giants dominate sales of combustion engine vehicles, Chinese firms are in the driver's seat when it comes to electric cars.

Policymakers in Beijing have been pushing the market to go electric, using a carrot and stick to drag along consumers and automakers through a quota system for manufacturers and subsidies to car buyers.

Unable to seed a company capable of competing on the global stage, the shift conveniently provides China a new opportunity to foster local champions in world's largest car market. Unencumbered by history and the billions sunk into refining gasoline engines, electric presents a clean competitive slate for homegrown automakers.

"The entry hurdle is lower with an electric drive train than it has been with a combustion engine, which requires experience or where at least the contenders have experience of 130 years," Dieter Zetsche, head of Mercedes-Benz cars, said at the auto show. Zetsche welcomed the Chinese newcomers: "The moment you don't have competition you get lazy."