China: New Fuel Efficiency Standards Tougher Than Those of U.S.

10 October 2004

AP. After years of discussion, China has enacted fuel efficiency standards that are stricter than those in the U.S. Not only are the mileage requirements higher, but every vehicle sold must meet the standard of its category.

From an analysis by US PIRG:

China’s new fuel economy standards require 32 different car and truck weight-based classes to achieve between 19 and 38 mpg by 2005, and between 21 and 43 mpg by 2008. Only 79% of U.S. car sales and 27% of U.S. light truck sales currently meet China’s 2005 standards. Only 19% of car sales and 14% of truck sales currently meet China’s 2008 standard.

China’s new standards prescribe a maximum level of fuel consumption for every vehicle within each weight class, meaning that every automobile produced in a particular weight class has to meet the fuel economy standard set for that weight class. The U.S. fuel economy system, on the other hand, only requires that car and light truck sales averages meet fuel economy standards for each class. In China, if the automobiles do not meet the prescribed standards, they simply cannot be sold.

Models approved by the Chinese government before July 2005 will have a one-year grace period for both phases.