Geely targets methanol-powered cars

ZHEJIANG Geely Holdings Group said it will start mass producing methanol-powered vehicles by the end of the year, becoming the latest domestic car maker to make new energy-saving cars which will account for 10 percent of the total production of the industry within five years.

The privately-owned car maker plans to launch a methanol version of its Haifeng sedan by the end of 2008, according to a statement released by the company yesterday.

Driven by both pure methanol and fuel, the car is able to save energy consumption by more than 40 percent compared with existing models of energy-saving cars.

Geely has launched a series of dual-module vehicles since this year to meet government requirement to speed up the development of fuel-efficient and less-polluting models for sustained growth of the industry.

Its green fleets will also include a model which uses natural gas and a unique hybrid system, which could save fuel consumption by more than 50 percent.

The new technologies will be used in Geely's mainstream models such as Vision, Free Cruiser and King Kong sedans.

Geely's new energy vehicle blueprint plans to develop 5 hybrid sedans including electric cars as well as hydrogen vehicles, according to Li Shufu, its chairman.

Wan Gang, minister of science and technology, said the production of new energy vehicles will total 10,000 units by 2010. Fuel-efficient and new energy vehicles will account for 10 percent of the total vehicle production nationwide by 2012.

Shanghai GM's hybrid LaCrosse sedan, Toyota's Prius and Chang'an Auto Group's Jiexun sedan are the three Chinese-made clean energy vehicles available in the market.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp, the nation's biggest car maker, aims to boost the annual output of new energy cars to 50,000 units by 2010.

The auto maker also plans to manufacture 1,000 units of hydrogen vehicles during the same period, it said.