Monday, 31 March 2025
Home Topics Business Chinese EV makers extend buying incentives as price war enters third year
BusinessElectric Vehicles (EVs)NewsTransport

Chinese EV makers extend buying incentives as price war enters third year

70
FILE PHOTO: People look at the newly unveiled Onvo L60 SUV, the first vehicle of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio's new lower-priced brand, in Shanghai, China May 15, 2024. REUTERS/Zoey Zhang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People look at the newly unveiled Onvo L60 SUV, the first vehicle of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio's new lower-priced brand, in Shanghai, China May 15, 2024. REUTERS/Zoey Zhang/File Photo

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese electric vehicle makers including Nio and Li Auto have followed market leaders Tesla and BYD in extending buying incentives to the start of 2025, as a price war in the world’s largest auto market continues for a third year.

Li Auto announced on Thursday cash subsidies of 15,000 yuan ($2,055) per car purchase as well as a three-year zero-interest financing scheme.

Nio launched a similar zero-interest loan plan for its Nio- and Onvo-branded EV buyers on Wednesday.

The incentives are intended to encourage purchases before the government subsidy schemes for the new year start. More than 5.2 million cars sold as of mid-December had benefited from Chinese government subsidies.

China has signalled an extension of consumer goods trade-ins in 2025, but specifics for the policy implementation nationwide remain unclear.

Nanjing, the capital city of eastern China’s Jiangsu province, said earlier this week it would continue to provide subsidies of up to 4,000 yuan per car purchase this year.

Chinese authorities have agreed to issue 3 trillion yuan worth of special treasury bonds this year, Reuters has reported, as Beijing ramps up fiscal stimulus to revive a faltering economy partly via subsidy programmes.

Local EV champion BYD, which could have outsold Ford and Honda globally in 2024, has been offering discounts of up to 11.5% on two models – one hybrid and one EV – since December.

Tesla, which sparked the price war last year, has extended a 10,000 yuan discount on outstanding loans for its best-selling Model Y in China until the end of this month.

Sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids, known collectively as new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China, surpassed 10 million units last year, thanks to government subsidised trade-ins of up to 20,000 yuan apiece for NEVs.

Nonetheless, autos-related retail sales contracted by 0.7% year-on-year in the first 11 months, versus a 3.5% increase in China’s total retail sales, official data showed, pointing to the impact of price cuts.

($1 = 7.2993 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Qiaoyi Li, Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh. Editing by Mark Potter)

Related Articles

Lilium burnt through huge sums while trying to develop its jet (AFP)

German flying taxi start-up’s rescue deal collapses

A German flying taxi start-up said on Friday it would halt operations...

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum speaks as he attends a signing ceremony with members of the West Virginia Congressional Delegation at the EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo

US energy council chief says power plants to produce 15% more electricity

By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Interior Secretary and co-chair of...

Cuba has inaugurated a new solar energy park in the capital Havana (AFP)

Cuba opens solar park hoping to stave off blackouts

Cuba on Friday unveiled a new solar energy park in the capital...

FILE PHOTO: Cranes unload imported iron ore from a cargo vessel at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China October 27, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Iron ore heads for weekly gain on brightening demand outlook, China stimulus hopes

By Amy Lv and Lewis Jackson BEIJING (Reuters) -Iron ore futures prices...

Login into your Account

Please login to like, dislike or bookmark this article.