China upholds strict electric car sales quotas despite industry protests

China has been pushing to get more electric vehicles on its roads as soon as possible in order to fight urban air pollution but automakers and industry bodies have said the targets are too tough.

BEIJING: China upheld strict sales quotas for electrically powered vehicles in a draft regulation issued on Tuesday, ignoring concessions agreed between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier this month. 

The draft, posted on the website of the Legislative Affairs Office for China's cabinet, maintains that automakers must sell enough electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles to generate "credits" equivalent to 8% of sales by 2018, 10% by 2019 and 12% by 2020 – criteria many in the industry deem too ambitious.