Visitors tour the booth of BYD during the 2025 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Auto Show in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, May 31, 2025. (Photo/Xinhua)

Beijing - China is seeking to boost the consumption of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the country's rural regions with accelerated efforts to improve the supporting environment for their use.

According to a circular issued by five government departments on Tuesday, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the Ministry of Commerce, promotional campaigns for NEVs will be carried out in certain counties where the NEV penetration rate is low but the consumption potential is huge.

As part of these promotional campaigns, NEV models that are suitable for driving conditions in rural areas, have good reputations and are known for reliable quality will be selected. Activities such as exhibitions and test drives will be organized.

According to a list attached to the circular posted on the MIIT website, a total of 124 NEV models, including both EVs and hybrids, are included in the promotional campaigns, featuring vehicles from manufacturers such as BYD, Geely, GAC Aion, and Xpeng, as well as Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y.

NEV after-sales maintenance and repair service enterprises, electric car charging and battery switching service providers, and financial service enterprises will also be included in these promotional campaigns, with a view to optimizing the supporting environment for NEV adoption in rural areas.

Car companies are encouraged to enrich the provision of NEV models and improve their services to tap consumption potential in China's countryside.

NEV manufacturers, car retailers, financial service companies, and electricity charging and after-sales service providers are also encouraged to offer "promotional deals" that integrate services spanning car purchase, car use and after-sales services to rural customers.

Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed that NEV production in China had surged 48.3 percent year on year to nearly 4.43 million units in the first four months of 2025, with sales up by 46.2 percent year on year to 4.3 million units. NEVs accounted for 42.7 percent of total new vehicle sales in China in the January-April period this year.

The cumulative number of charging infrastructure facilities nationwide had reached almost 13.75 million at the end of March. This figure included 3.9 million public charging points for NEVs and 9.85 million private charging installations, official data revealed.