Electric vehicle sales in China surged in July as drivers flocked to local auto brands in the world’s largest car market, while those of Tesla plunged after the US group was swept up in a string of scandals in the country.
Wholesale deliveries of new energy vehicles — including battery-powered, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell cars — jumped 164 per cent year on year last month to 271,000 units, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said on Wednesday.
The latest rise meant that electric cars took up 10 per cent of total auto sales in China from January to July. Total wholesale auto deliveries in July fell 12 per cent year on year to 1.9m units, CAAM reported.