Sales of gas-powered cars in China fell drastically in April, as rising fuel costs added even more pressure to the world’s largest auto market. The China Passenger Car Association reported this week that overall passenger car sales in China fell 21.6 percent year-over-year in April to about 1.4 million vehicles. But a closer look at the numbers suggests that the era of gas cars in China could be coming to an end. New energy vehicles (NEVs), which include battery-powered cars and plug-in hybrids, accounted for roughly 60 percent of China’s passenger vehicle sales in April. Cars powered by other fuel types, including traditional internal combustion engines, made up the remaining 40 percent. NEV sales were down 6.8 percent in April, but the category was dragged down largely by plug-in hybrids, which fell 25 percent. Sales of battery-powered EVs actually grew 2.4 percent.
That still does not compare to what happened to gas-powered cars. Sales of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles nosedived 37 percent last month compared with the same period a year earlier. Among the country’s top 10 most sold cars in April, only one was gas-powered, the Geely Coolray, which took the seventh spot with 14,923 units sold. Only one plug-in hybrid made the list as well, the Changan Nevo Q05, which came in fifth place with 15,814 units. The rest of the list consisted of battery-powered EVs, led by the Geely Galaxy EX2, which took the top spot with 34,727 units sold.
