China will start to implement the China VI-b emission standards for vehicles starting from July 1, banning production, imports and sales of models that don't comply with the standards, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said in a joint statement with four other authorities. Industry observers noted the upgraded emission standards may boost sales of models that comply with current standards, while accelerating the promotion of new-energy vehicles (NEVs). The upgraded standards have more stringent emission requirements for pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides of gas and gasoline-fueled vehicles, compared with the current China VI-a standards. The new standard will require Real-Driving Emission (RDE) tests of the vehicles while driven on the road, which is not included in the “China VI-a” standard.
As of January 2023, there were more than 1.89 million vehicles in inventory that did not meet the RDE testing requirements, with more than 2 million vehicles in inventory including purchased parts, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed. Sales of light-duty vehicles qualified under the China VI-b standards but with a “monitoring only” testing result will be allowed to continue until December 31. The Association said the timing will bring substantial relief to the industry, while assisting the auto market to recover steadily. The implementation of the new standards will be conducive for the industry's development, while further promoting sales of vehicles qualified under the China VI-a standards, Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), told the Global Times.
The joint statement also called on automakers and importing enterprises to ensure the manufactured and imported vehicles meet the new requirements. Chinese authorities released the national VI emission standard on December 23, 2016 targeting light-duty vehicles. All light-duty vehicles were required to meet the China VI-a emission standards by July 1, 2020, while qualifying under the China VI-b standards by July 1, 2023. As for heavy-duty vehicles, relevant standards were released on June 22, 2018. All vehicles had to meet the China VI-a standards by July 1, 2021, and further meet the China VI-b standards by July 1, 2023.
China's passenger car market continued to grow steadily in April, with domestic sales up 55.5% year-on-year to 1.63 million. Exports boomed with a year-on-year increase of 227% to 300,000 vehicles, the Global Times reports.
