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Category: Automotive

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Auto and Car news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Tesla Model S, BMW i3 fall short of IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award

    Tesla Model S, BMW i3 fall short of IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award

    The Tesla Model S and BMW i3 fell short of earning the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s 2017 Top Safety Pick+ award. For a vehicle to qualify for the Top Safety Pick award, IIHS said it must earn “good” ratings in all five crashworthiness tests — small overlap front, moderated overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints and seats — and come with a front crash prevention system that earns an advanced or superior rating.

    The “+” is awarded to vehicles that meet all the above criteria and come with “good” or “acceptable” headlights.

    Ratings for crashworthiness and headlights are good, acceptable, marginal and poor.

    Tesla’s Model S earned a good rating in all IIHS crashworthiness evaluations except the small overlap front crash test, in which it earned an acceptable rating.

    The Model S earned a good rating in all IIHS crashworthiness evaluations except the small overlap front crash test, in which it earned an acceptable rating.

    IIHS said the Model S “ran into problems in the test when the safety belt allowed the dummy’s torso to move too far forward. That allowed the dummy’s head to hit the steering wheel hard through the airbag.”

    IIHS noted that the Model S ratings apply to 2016 and 2017 cars built after October 2016.

    Tesla told IIHS that it made a production change on Jan. 23 to address the head-contact problem and IIHS will test the updated Model S for small overlap protection as soon as it can be delivered.

    The current Model S has not been rated for front crash prevention, IIHS noted, because while automatic braking equipment comes standard, the automaker has not activated the software for all vehicles.

    IIHS also noted the 2017 Model S isn’t available with anything other than poor-rated headlights. The automaker told IIHS that it is working with its supplier to improve the headlights. IIHS will evaluate the new ones when they are available.

    The BMW i3 was hindered by its acceptable rating in the head restraints and seats evaluation, IIHS found. The car’s only available headlight system earned an acceptable rating.

    One Model S variant in particular, the high-performance P100D, was also dinged for its roof strength. The P100D has the same roof structure as other Model S variants, IIHS said, but noted that because the car has a larger, and heavier, battery it earned only an acceptable rating for that test.

    The BMW i3 was hindered by its acceptable rating in the head restraints and seats evaluation, IIHS found. The car’s only available headlight system earned an acceptable rating.

    The i3 earned good ratings in other crashworthiness tests and is available with an optional front crash prevention system that earned an advanced rating, IIHS said.

    “There’s no reason the most efficient vehicles can’t also be among the safest,” said David Zuby, IIHS’ chief research officer, in a statement. “We hope Tesla and BMW will continue to refine the designs of their electric models to maximize driver protection and, especially in the case of Tesla, improve their headlights.”

    Two other green vehicles, the Toyota Prius Prime and Chevrolet Volt, earned the Top Safety Pick+ designation for crash test and crash avoidance performance, the organization said.

    IIHS plans to test the latest EV to enter the market, the Chevrolet Bolt, once it becomes widely available this year.

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  • Daimler to supply self-driving cars for Uber

    Daimler to supply self-driving cars for Uber

    German auto giant Daimler on Tuesday (Jan 31) said it had struck a partnership with Uber to supply self-driving cars for the US ride-hailing company.

    The tie-up comes as both carmakers and ridesharing firms are jockeying to establish themselves as leading players in the burgeoning world of autonomous driving, seen as the future of the auto industry.

    “Under the terms of the cooperation, Daimler plans to introduce self-driving vehicles … on Uber’s global ride-sharing network in the coming years,” the companies said in a joint statement.

    The agreement will see Daimler build and operate self-driving Mercedes-Benz cars for use by Uber, but the statement revealed no financial details.

    “As the inventor of the automobile, Daimler aims to be a leader in autonomous driving – one of the most fascinating aspects of reinventing mobility,” Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said in the statement.

    San Francisco-based Uber has invested heavily in self-driving car technology in recent years and is currently piloting the use of autonomous vehicles in the US city of Pittsburgh.

    But it has no car-building experience, prompting it to seek partnerships.

    “Self-driving technology holds the promise of creating cities that are safer, cleaner and more accessible,” Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick said.

    “But we can’t get to that future alone. That’s why we’re opening up the Uber platform to auto manufacturers like Daimler.”

    Uber is already working with Sweden-based Volvo Cars to develop self-driving cars for sale by 2021.

    And in a world first, a self-driving truck built by Uber’s Otto unit successfully delivered a beer shipment in October.

    Cars with some autonomous functions, such as the ability to adjust the speed, are already on our roads.

    But nearly all the major global automakers – including BMW, Volkswagen and Ford – are racing to get fully self-driving cars on the market in the next few years, often in cooperation with tech firms.

    US automaker General Motors last year announced a US$500 million (€460 million) investment in Uber’s rival Lyft, while Google parent company Alphabet has partnered with Fiat Chrysler to develop self-driving cars.

    The BMW group, which has partnered with US computer chip giant Intel, said earlier this month it plans to start testing self-driving vehicles on roads in the US and Europe by the end of the year.

    Auto industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer of Germany’s CAR institute predicted that the tie-up between Uber and Daimler wouldn’t be the last in the sector.

    “It’s almost to be expected. And Uber is sure to work with more car manufacturers in the future,” he told AFP. “It only makes the world of tomorrow even more exciting.”

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  • Toyota Philippines To Increase Production Despite Looming Excise Tax

    Toyota Philippines To Increase Production Despite Looming Excise Tax

    Toyota Motors Philippines (TMP) has made it clear that it is still looking at increasing its production in 2017. This is despite a looming excise tax that may soon be imposed in the industry and bring vehicle retail prices significantly up.

    Modest production target to begin with

    “We’re projecting a minimum 10 percent growth. So this year we started conservatively. Of course, the looming excise tax is an issue that we have to be aware of,” Business World Online quoted TMP Vice-Chairman Alfred Ty as saying. The company has long been committed to increasing its production as part of its involvement in the Comprehensive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program that had been established during the Aquino administration. Aside from TMP, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation has also agreed to participate in the CARS program.

    The goal had been to produce at least 200,000 vehicles in a span of six years, averaging at 33,333 vehicles each year. In 2016, TMP managed to produce as much as 55,028 units, with its top-selling Vios and Innova vehicles assembled in its facility in Laguna.

    Tax will hurt luxury vehicles the most

    Ty has also said that since the looming excise tax will impact the luxury market more, he believes the impact may be small. “We understand where we’re coming from but we also have to be careful not to kill the market because again the luxury cars from this country do not even comprise 1 percent of the total cars,” he explained. This would readily affect Toyota’s Camry and Fortuner models.

    According to a report from Business Mirror, a vehicle selling from P600,000 to P1.1 million will be subject to an excise tax of P24,000 plus 40 percent of the value in excess of P600,000. Meanwhile, higher priced vehicles will be subject to significantly higher tax. For instance, vehicles with a retail price of P2.1 million may face a tax amounting to P1.22 million. Vehicle buyers would also have to pay 200 percent of the value exceeding P2.1 million in additional tax.

     

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  • Luxury cars flooding Vietnamese market

    Luxury cars flooding Vietnamese market

    From now to 2020, Mercedes Benz Vietnam plans to double its sales agent network, an important step for the luxury car manufacturer to cement its position in the Vietnamese market.

    Speaking to local mass media on December 3, Choi Duk Jun, CEO of Mercedes Benz Vietnam, said together with the expansion of product items, the enlargement of sales agents will be a strategic move that helps Mercedes increase its market share in Vietnam.

    Mercedes Benz has the highest number of sales agents in Vietnam with 12 centers throughout the country.

    Sources said Rolls-Royce, a brand of German BMW, which also owns two other strong brands – BMW and Mini — is also preparing to enter the Vietnamese market.

    Toyota Vietnam has opened an authorized agent in the central region, raising the number of total sale agents in Vietnam to 44.

    Ford Vietnam has opened an authorized agent in Binh Duong province, while it has upgraded Pho Quang branch of Sai Gon Ford into a 3S branch. It is preparing to open another showroom, belonging to Sai Gon Ford, in the central business district 1 in HCMC.

    The new centers are reported as having investment capital of VND120 billion. The number of Ford’s sales agents and service centers in Vietnam has increased to 27.

    The Vietnamese market had its highest sale growth rate of 60,000 cars in 2016 compared to 2015.

    The sale of luxury cars and sports cars also increased sharply. Mercedes led the market segment with 4,401 cars sold in 2016, an increase of 22 percent over the year before.

    Meanwhile, Lexus sold 1,665 cars, up by 73 percent. Audi, Porsche and BMW  have not revealed the sales, but reported growth.

    A source said Porsche had fulfilled its yearly sales plan in Vietnam by mid-2016.

    The sales surprised many analysts, because prices had increased sharply.

    Lexus LX570, for example, saw the price increasing from VND5.7 billion to VND8 billion, while Maybach S600 was from VND10 billion to VND14 billion. Rolls Royce Phantom price soared from VND54 billion to VND84 billion.

    Oxfarm, a non-government organization, on January 12 released a report on inequality in Vietnam, pointing out that the income gap between the richest and poorest Vietnamese people is very large. The richest Vietnamese has the daily income higher than the 10 year-income of the poorest.

    In related news, Marquardt from Germany had a working session with Da Nang authorities on its plan to set up an automobile part factory in the city.

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  • ZC Rubber opens first overseas Autospace store

    ZC Rubber opens first overseas Autospace store

    Autospace, ZC Rubber’s retail chain, opened its first branch in Thailand on 18 January 2017. The new branch is also the firm’s first overseas flagship store.

    Autospace, established in 2015, is the service brand of ZC Rubber in automotive aftermarket. In China, there are more than 300 franchised Autospace outlets after just two years of operation. Furthermore, ZC Rubber says it is setting its sights on both the domestic market and the international market.

    Chen Hua, president of ZC Rubber Thailand, said that the building of new Autospace store in Thailand expands the new service for Thailand customers. Nowadays, ZC Rubber Thailand operates in the stage of rapid development and will actively support the development of Autospace store in local market.

    Autospace will provide not only tyres services (which include tyre changing, repairing, and alignment), but also an express service and a mobile service.

    “We have advanced systems to provide data analysis for all the dealers and stores, and will respond to the consumers’ demand and offer to-door targeted service timely”, deputy managing director of Autospace Ms. Chen Qin said.

  • Mercedes-Benz begins local assembly of CKD E-Class

    Mercedes-Benz begins local assembly of CKD E-Class

    Mercedes-Benz Distribution Indonesia (MDI), the local distribution arm of German car manufacturer Daimler AG, launched on Tuesday the fifth generation of its mid-size luxury sedan E-Class.

    The sedan is assembled from the completely knocked-down (CKD) version in its Wanaherang plant, following an earlier move to introduce the completely built-up (CBU) version last August.

    MDI president director Roelof Lamberts said the local production of the E-Class was expected to help boost sales of the model in Indonesia.

    “The E-Class contributed to a quarter of our sales last year. We hope with the new generation, this contribution can be increased to a third of total sales this year,” he said during the launch ceremony.

    MDI last year saw its sales rise slightly by 3 percent to 3,371 vehicles.

    The pricing of the new model will be listed at the upcoming auto show in April, Lamberts added.

    Currently, the CBU version of the E-Class is sold for Rp 1.3 billion (US$97,600) per vehicle.

    There are two types of CKD E-Class vehicles that will be introduced into the domestic market, namely the luxury E-250 Avantgarde and the sportier E-300.

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  • Moto boosts retail presence with 2 Moto concept stores

    Moto boosts retail presence with 2 Moto concept stores

    MOTO’S Philippine expansion remains at full throttle, with the opening of two new Moto Concept Stores in Metro Manila.

    Say #HelloMoto to two new stores located at the 4th level of Cyberzone areas in SM North EDSA Annex and SM Megamall both operated by MemoXpress.

    “The Philippines is a very important market for Moto, and we remain committed towards bringing the Moto experience to more Filipinos through our two new Moto Concept Stores. By offering greater product and service visibility, Moto is definitely on its way towards taking the Filipino digital lifestyle by storm,” said Dino Romano, Country Manager, Lenovo Mobile Business Group Philippines.

    As part of its goal to become the definitive #3 player in the global smartphone market, Lenovo is building scale and efficiency by expanding its Moto line across emerging markets, including the Philippines. Currently the fastest growing smartphone market in ASEAN, the Philippines has seen a total of 3.5 million smartphone shipments in the first quarter of this year, based on International Data Corporations (IDC)’s June 2016 report.

    Both Moto Concept Stores carry the newly-launched Moto smartphone lineup: its flagship line composed of Moto Z, Moto Z Play and the Moto Mods; its mid-range family, which consists of Moto G4 Plus, Moto G4 Play and Moto G Turbo; and the entry-level Moto E3 Power.

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  • Toyota adds 400 jobs to boost Princeton SUV capacity

    Toyota adds 400 jobs to boost Princeton SUV capacity

    Toyota said on Tuesday it would add 400 jobs at its Princeton, Indiana, vehicle assembly plant as part of a US$600m spend to meet “strong and growing demand” for the Highlander midsize SUV and modernise the entire factory.

    Funding will be used for retooling, new equipment and technology to make the plant more competitive.  The project is scheduled to begin in autumn 2019 and will add capacity for 40,000 extra vehicles annually.

    “This expansion project is part of Toyota’s localisation strategy to build vehicles where they are sold,” the automaker – recently criticised by President Trump for its new NAFTA Corolla plant under construction in Mexico – said in a statement.

    Toyota reiterated CEO Jim Lentz’s recent Detroit show announcement Toyota Motor North America would “invest an additional $10bn in the US over the next five years. This investment will be used to make the existing plants even more competitive”.

    Toyota responded earlier to Trump’s pre-inauguration criticism by emphasising its contribution to the US economy. “With more than $21.9bn direct investment in the US, 10 manufacturing facilities, 1,500 dealerships and 136,000 employees, Toyota looks forward to collaborating with the Trump administration to serve in the best interests of consumers and the automotive industry,” the company said previously.

    Toyota said its Tuesday announcement showed its commitment to continued US investment. The 20 year old Princeton plant produced a record 400,000-plus vehicles last year.

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  • One person, one car in Hanoi as it considers a new traffic plan

    One person, one car in Hanoi as it considers a new traffic plan

    Hanoi is considering limiting individuals to one car and one license plate to ease pressure on its roads due to the continuing rise of newly-registered vehicles.

    Colonel Dao Vinh Thang, the chief of the Hanoi traffic police force, made the proposal at a meeting on Friday, urging municipal leaders to consider the new regulation.“If people want to get a new vehicle, they must use the old license plate,” he added.

    16,000 new motorbikes and 500 new cars are registered in the city every month, official figures show. Five years ago, Hanoi’s traffic infrastructure could support 5 million vehicles, but now it has to cope with two or three times that amount, which authorities are really struggling to control, Thang said.

    Major General Tran The Quan from the Ministry of Public Security shared the same view, saying this type of restriction on vehicle ownership has been applied in other countries, and that transferring license plates from old cars to new vehicles could help lower registration costs.

    However, Quan said that since Vietnam’s current law doesn’t impose any limit on the number of vehicles citizens are allowed to own, the regulation would require a lot of amendments to existing decrees and government circulars.

    But the proposal has raised some eyebrows.

    Attorney Pham Thanh Binh, director of Bao Ngoc Law Company, warned that restricting vehicle ownership would risk violating the Constitution.

    “Vietnam’s Constitution says that all citizens have the right to buy or sell any assets that are not prohibited by the state,” said Binh.

    The attorney, however, supports the idea that each person should only be allowed one license plate which they can use for life.

    Statistics show that Hanoi has more than 5.5 million personal vehicles (nearly 500,000 cars and more than five million motorcycles). The numbers are expected to increase to more than 7.3 million motorbikes and 1.3 million cars by 2025.

    Hanoi recently launched a competition seeking solutions from the public to solve its serious congestion problems, with a first prize of $200,000.

    The capital has been trying to ease traffic by constructing more highways and overpasses and launching the city’s first bus rapid transit route, in addition to more normal buses. To ease congestion, the city previously suggested banning motorbikes from inner-city streets over the next four years. However, experts said the proposal was unfeasible due to undeveloped and insufficient public transport.

    Last September, the city’s top leader Hoang Trung Hai also put forward another plan to make vehicles park only on one side of the road, depending on whether it’s an odd or even day. To date, no additional details of the plan have been unveiled.

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  • China’s Future Mobility plans $1.7 bln electric car plant in Nanjing

    China’s Future Mobility plans $1.7 bln electric car plant in Nanjing

    Chinese electric car venture Future Mobility plans to build an 11.64 billion yuan ($1.7 billion) factory in Nanjing, aiming to capitalise on rising demand for electric cars in the world’s second-largest economy and elsewhere.

    The investment announced on Thursday comes despite a delay to planned funding from technology giant Tencent Holdings and Taiwan manufacturing heavyweight Foxconn , with Hong Kong-registered Future Mobility citing stricter implementation of China’s capital flow controls.

    China has ratcheted up controls on money leaving the mainland since last year in an effort to bolster a weakening yuan and prevent capital flight as the pace of economic growth slows.

    Future Mobility said it is in “close communication” with relevant parties, while a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the company has been able to find ample funding from other investors.

    Tencent and Foxconn did not respond to requests for comment outside of business hours.

    The Tencent and Foxconn money currently sits in a China-based fund established before the tightening of capital controls and Future Mobility is working with lawyers to devise mulitiple options to “find a smart way” to complete the investment, the source said.

    The source added that Foxconn and Tencent remain as backers despite the hiccup.

    “We didn’t (initially) find a way to get the funds to come from China to the company outside of China,” the source said. “The money is there.”

    The new factory will eventually have capacity to produce 300,000 cars a year. The company did not give an indication of when it expects to reach that output but said that the first phase of the plant’s construction will be completed by 2019.

    After that initial phase, the factory should be able to produce 150,000 vehicles a year, it said.

    China, struggling with high pollution levels in major cities, is aggressively pushing plug-in vehicles. Its carrot-and-stick approach combines heavy investment and research funding with subsidies, as well as regulations designed to discourage the driving of fossil-fueled cars in big cities.

    Future Mobility said the first product it plans to produce is expected to be a pure-electric medium-sized smart SUV and that vehicles produced at Nanjing will be sold globally.

    A company spokeswoman said that the first car is likely to have a price tag of about 300,000 yuan ($43,700) and is expected to hit the Chinese market in 2019.

  • China’s BYD plans to sell passenger cars in U.S. in 2-3 years

    China’s BYD plans to sell passenger cars in U.S. in 2-3 years

    BYD plans to sell electric passenger cars in the United States in about two to three years, an executive said on Thursday, as it races to be the first Chinese automaker to sell cars to American drivers.

    BYD, backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, specializes in electric and plug-in petrol-electric hybrid vehicles. At present, its U.S. presence is limited to producing buses and selling fleet vehicles such as taxis.

    Li Yunfei, BYD’s deputy general manager for branding and public relations, said its passenger car plan was not fixed as entering the U.S. was a complicated process.

    “It could be adjusted,” Li said at an event in Beijing. “Now we can only say roughly 2 to 3 years.”

    China’s government has used a raft of policies, including billions of dollars in subsidies, to spur a boom in electric and plug-in hybrid sales since 2015. The U.S., meanwhile, has lagged.

    BYD has had false starts in the U.S., with Chairman Wang Chuanfu previously saying the automaker would begin selling in the U.S. in 2010. Other Chinese peers have also encountered delays in entering the market.

    GAC Motor, a subsidiary of Guangzhou Automobile Group, displayed three models at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month, stating it would enter the U.S. by 2019 instead of a previous goal of 2017.

    A GAC Motor spokeswoman declined to elaborate on the delay.

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  • Ford posted record sales in Philippines in 2016

    Ford posted record sales in Philippines in 2016

    Ford Philippines said it posted new record sales in 2016, the fourth in a row, with sales rising 33 percent to 33,688 vehicles, driven by continued strong demand for EcoSport, Everest and Ranger.

    The company said it also had the best-ever December performance in the Philippines with sales increasing 13 percent year-on-year to 3,198 vehicles.

    “Our big three nameplates – Ranger, Everest and EcoSport – continued to lead the charge throughout the year and further solidify the Ford brand as a top choice among Filipinos,” said Ford Philippines managing director Lance Mosley.

    The Everest became Ford’s best-seller in the Philippines in 2016 with full-year sales rising 152 percent year-on-year to a record 12,453 vehicles, finishing the year with a 6-percent rise in December sales to 1,066 vehicles.

    The EcoSport compact SUV also turned in its best-ever full-year performance with retail sales rising 15 percent to 10,010 vehicles, capping the year with December sales rising 40 percent to an all-time monthly record of 1,123 vehicles.  The Ranger, on the other hand, finished 2016 as the second best-selling pickup truck in the Philippines with total retail sales of 8,158 vehicles.

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  • Volkswagen won’t make Audi cars with SAIC in China before 2018

    Volkswagen won’t make Audi cars with SAIC in China before 2018

    German carmaker Volkswagen said on Wednesday it would not produce or sell any Audi cars with SAIC Motor until at least 2018, seeking first to strengthen ties with existing Audi partner China FAW Motor Corp .

    VW announced in November a non-binding agreement with SAIC to discuss a partnership regarding Audi AG, which is the best selling premium brand in China.

    Tying up with SAIC, China’s largest automaker, could boost slowing sales for the premium Audi brand as Daimler’s Mercedes and newer entrants such as General Motor’s Cadillac eat into its market share.

    “No sales, no production, nothing this year (2017),” state-owned China Daily on Wednesday quoted VW China chief Jochem Heizmann as saying.

    A VW spokesman confirmed Heizmann’s remarks, saying talks with SAIC were ongoing but that nothing “operational” would happen before 2018.

    “An agreement (with SAIC) could be reached in 2017 and there will be preparation with all the points for sales and production and so on,” an Audi spokeswoman told Reuters.

    “As soon as there is an agreement, there will be measures to fulfil this agreement, but right now we are just in talks and we have no agreement.”

    She added that while larger talks were ongoing, discussions about sales with SAIC were on hold until an agreement is reached resolving concerns of existing FAW dealers.

    Volkswagen gets a larger proportion of the proceeds from the 50-50 tie-up with SAIC than from its 40 percent stake in the venture with FAW.

    Joint ventures with VW and Audi have given FAW a lifeline as it struggles to create successful brands of its own.

    Existing dealers of Audi cars in a letter to the German firm last year said creating a new sales network would further damage an already tenuous situation as existing dealers suffer from slowing sales and generally operate at a loss.

    The Volkswagen spokesman said the priorities were first to strengthen ties with FAW, including with a recently agreed 10-year joint plan, second to resolve concerns of existing Audi dealers, and last, to move forward with a cooperation with SAIC.

    Audi said on Tuesday that its joint venture with FAW would introduce five more plug-in electric cars in China in the next five years, following on FAW and VW agreeing to a 10-year roadmap for the venture.

  • Samsung Elec to supply Exynos processors for Audi vehicles

    Samsung Elec to supply Exynos processors for Audi vehicles

    Tech giant Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it will start supplying Volkswagen’s Audi with Exynos processors for the carmaker’s infotainment systems, expanding its chip sales for the auto business.

    Samsung said in a statement its Exynos processors will power up to four in-vehicle displays for Audi’s next-generation infotainment system without elaborating on the contract value or what vehicles Audi will use the chips for.

    Car Infotainment systems for cars are for displaying information such as navigation and playing audio or video. The systems also increasingly allow drivers to connect their phones to their vehicles.

    The world’s top maker of smartphones and memory chips has been trying to boost sales of components for automobiles to boost growth. Samsung already supplies memory chips to Audi.

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  • China, Europe drive shift to electric cars

    China, Europe drive shift to electric cars

    Electric cars will pick up critical momentum in 2017, many in the auto industry believe – just not in North America.

    Tighter emissions rules in China and Europe leave global carmakers and some consumers with little choice but to embrace plug-in vehicles, fuelling an investment surge, said industry executives gathered in Detroit this past week for the city’s annual auto show.

    “Car electrification is an irreversible trend,” said Jacques Aschenbroich, chief executive of auto supplier Valeo, which has expanded sales by 50 percent in five years with a focus on electric, hybrid, connected and self-driving cars.

    In Europe, green cars benefit increasingly from subsidies, tax breaks and other perks, while combustion engines face mounting penalties including driving and parking restrictions.

    China, struggling with catastrophic pollution levels in major cities, is aggressively pushing plug-in vehicles. Its carrot-and-stick approach combines tens of billions in investment and research funding with subsidies, and regulations designed to discourage driving fossil-fueled cars in big cities.

    The road ahead for electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States, however, could have more hairpin curves.

    Regulators in California and a group of other U.S. states are pushing ahead with state-level rules mandating rising quotas for electric, or “zero emission” vehicles.

    But plug-in registrations in the United States fell in 2015, and the market share of electric-only vehicles declined further to 0.37 percent in 2016, as cheap fuel drove demand for gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks.

    President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to roll back environmental and climate rules. Groups representing established automakers asked Trump to review Obama administration fuel economy targets out to 2025, even before the outgoing administration formally signed them into effect on Friday.

    Automakers have also asked Trump to work toward a single, national set of rules to govern automotive greenhouse gas emissions, a move that could spark legal challenges to electric car quotas in California and other states on grounds they present a separate standard.

    “THE WORLD IS GOING ELECTRIC”

    Still, industry executives in Detroit said hitting the brakes on electric vehicles in the United States would not relieve the pressure to bring them to market, because China and Europe are forging ahead with policies to expand sales of plug-in cars.

    That is why Ford (F.N) is moving forward with previously announced plans to invest $4.5 billion for plug-in vehicles by 2020, Chief Executive Mark Fields said earlier this month.

    “The industry is changing, the infrastructure’s starting to build, and that’s why our view is (that) within the next 15 years we’ll see more electrified offerings … than we’ll see gasoline-powered,” Fields said as he unveiled a $700 million plan to build a battery SUV and other plug-in vehicles in Flat Rock, Michigan.

    To drive the shift to electric, industry executives said they needed more help from governments. In China, Europe and the United States, automakers are advocating new infrastructure money go to public electric car charging networks.

    In the United States, EV manufacturers are pushing for the continuation of a $7,500 federal tax subsidy for consumers who buy a fully electric car. Even if Trump were to try to eliminate it, it would take time as Congress would have to act.

    “There is not a disagreement that the world is going electric,” California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols said on the sidelines of the auto show, noting that all vehicle makers were now investing in electric models across their entire product lines. The debate, she said, was “over timing, not the goal.”

    The Chinese electric car market cast its shadow over the Detroit auto show, where manufacturers showed off plug-in hybrid and electric models that will likely do scant business in the United States.

    IHS Automotive predicts Chinese plug-in deliveries will hit 1 million in 2019, four years before the United States. China pulled ahead in 2015 with a fourfold sales surge before adding 55 percent last year to 348,000 vehicles, with the United States at 138,000.

    “Look to China rather than the U.S. for the future of electric cars,” Gerard Detourbet, a Renault-Nissan executive leading low-cost plug-in development, said recently. “China is compelled to act – that’s the main difference.”