Hurdles ahead

A growing number of carmakers are making rural areas a priority in their sales and marketing campaigns, as large cities already have fierce competition for sales.

Farizon Auto, a manufacturer of electric vans and trucks that is part of the Geely Holding Group, said it will develop more vehicles tailored to the needs of rural customers.

Analysts said Farizon is making a good move, as models that are popular with urbanites do not necessarily meet the demands of rural residents.

Mini-sized cars, due to their low prices and easy handling, are the most popular vehicles, according to recent statistics, said Xu from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Wuling's Mini EV as well as Ora's Cat series vehicles have been among the top sellers since the annual promotion campaign started in 2020.

However, pushing NEV car sales in rural areas also faces hurdles. Although automakers have started to establish dealerships in smaller cities, rural residents usually have to travel lengthy distances to inspect the vehicles.

BYD, China's largest NEV maker, has only two dealerships in Chaozhou in Guangdong province, according to a Beijing Youth Daily report. One of the dealerships opened in 2021 and the other in 2022.

The carmaker has been involved in the campaign to promote NEVs in rural areas for three consecutive years. BYD said it will step up efforts to build more county-level dealerships so that rural residents can learn about its vehicles more easily.

A BYD salesperson in Chaozhou told Beijing Youth Daily that NEVs are different in many aspects from gasoline vehicles so it is necessary for potential buyers to try them.