The car need no longer be king
If home ownership is the basis of the mainland's rising domestic prosperity, car ownership has become the popular symbol of wealth and social status.
If home ownership is the basis of the mainland's rising domestic prosperity, car ownership has become the popular symbol of wealth and social status. In just two decades this has transformed the mainland from a kingdom of bicycles to one for cars. So it comes as a reality check that already, many car owners in big congested cities say they would seriously consider giving up their wheels if traffic continues to worsen or petrol prices rise sharply. The trade-off of cleaner air is becoming increasingly attractive.
Hours spent in crawling traffic, foul roadside air and rising regulatory costs such as steep fees for licence plates have put car ownership in a new perspective. As a result, according to a survey of 2,100 consumers in big cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, by global consultancy Bain and Co, up to 30 per cent are reassessing the value of car ownership.
In Beijing, government figures show vehicle exhaust is responsible for 30 per cent of pollution. The implications for quality of life and health weigh increasingly on official thinking. The authorities have announced plans to boost the number of electric, hybrid and other alternative-fuel-powered vehicles used for public transport, while sales of alternative-fuel vehicles have spiked recently amid tax breaks and other incentives.
Sales of new-energy cars are still outstripped by lesser markets such as the US and Japan. But the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported that 5,996 electric vehicles were sold in January and February, more than four times the number during the same period last year. Another 6,444 hybrid vehicles were sold during those two months, more than two times during the same period last year.
But a low-end electric vehicle still costs twice as much as a comparable petrol model and the lack of charging stations and other infrastructure also holds back growth. More support under government environmental policies would add momentum. The authorities should discourage the image of car as king. City planners have to put emphasis on bicycles and pedestrian paths as well as extensive bus and rail networks.
