CHINA / Regional |
More urban Chinese have plans to buy cars(Xinhua)Updated: 2007-07-22 13:50 CHANGCHUN - Soon after obtaining a driver's license, Xiao Xu, a young teacher in an industrial city in northeast China, has put car purchase on her agenda as she eagerly wants to sit behind the wheel. Xiao Xu seems to have every reason to buy a car: economically ample, wish for a comfortable tour to work, little traffic in the city where she lives,or in other words, to improve the quality of her life. "Anyhow, I will buy a car before my marriage," said the 26-year-old teacher with the Changchun Science and Technology University, at the Changchun International Automobile Expo. Like Xu, more and more urban Chinese are planning to buy their own cars, no longer a luxury item as the country's rapid economic growth have plumped up their pockets. "I want to buy a car priced between 50,000 and 100,000 yuan (US$657 to 13,157)," said Xiao Xu, at the expo which ended on Sunday in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province. Similar auto shows are held in other Chinese cities every year such as Beijing and Shanghai, providing people with an opportunity to know the latest models of cars. A saleswoman for a home-brand carmaker at the expo said young people in their 30s have become the majority of her customers. "The number of clients who buy cars with bank loans are also on rise," said the saleswoman. Last year, both the sales and output of cars exceeded 7.2 million in China. The national sales of automobiles may reach 10 million by 2010. Statistics with China's Public Security Bureau shows the accumulative number of privately owned sedans has exceeded 13 million by the end of June, up 16 percent from the end of last year. But growing number of cars brought about high-energy consumption, traffic jam and pollution from vehicle exhaust. Energy-saving or environment friendly automobiles such as hybrid electric automobiles have attracted attention of domestic carmakers. Wang Ziliang, Vice President of Geely, one of the major home brand carmakers, said the company has already developed a new model, which can save energy by half. The car may be sold on market in the near future. Currently, electric automobiles have already appeared on streets in some
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