Private Cars in China Up 28% in 2008
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 02.27.09
That's a Lot of Tailpipes
It wasn't so long ago that we wrote about China's 168 million motor vehicles (if you count everything), or about how taxes went up on big vehicles (though fuel is heavily subsidized, encouraging waste). Well, China's not a country to stand still, even in this economy. The latest numbers for "private cars" are out and 2008 saw a 28% increase.
From the National Bureau of Statistics of China (not always the most reliable source, especially for GDP numbers):
The total number of cars for civilian use stood at 24.38 million, up by 24.5 percent, of which private-owned cars numbered 19.47 million, up by 28.0 percent.
Passenger traffic in kilometers for all kinds of transportation (rail, highways, waterways, aviation) is up 8.2%. Aviation is up 3.3%, which highways saw the biggest increase at 9.8% and waterways the only decrease: -3.3%.
Freight traffic only increased by 3.8% in kilometers, but by 9.4% in tons. The fastest growing means of transportation (by tons) for freight at highways and pipelines, while rail has the relatively low rate of 4.7%.
Via National Bureau of Statistics of China, Green Car Congress
Photo: #1 Flickr, CC. #2 Flickr, CC.
More About China
Number of the Day: 168.03 Million Motor Vehicles in China
China Raises Taxes on Big Cars (Up to 40%), Lowers Them on Small Cars (Down to 1%)
West "Responsible" For Third of China's CO2 Emissions
Beijing's New Year's Fireworks Tripled Pollution Levels Overnight
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