China has set out a five-year policy road map to enable the widespread use of automated-driving vehicles by 2030, while accelerating the shift toward electrification, reduced energy consumption and safer, intelligent mobility in the automotive industry.
According to a plan for the development of the intelligent connected new energy vehicle industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, released on Friday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and eight other government departments, new energy vehicles are expected to account for 70 percent of new passenger vehicle sales and 40 percent of new commercial vehicle sales in China by 2030.
The plan also aims to establish China as a global automotive powerhouse.
Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said that these targets reflect market potential as well as a phased development strategy.
"China's new energy passenger vehicle retail penetration rate has already exceeded 60 percent, providing a realistic foundation for an increase to 70 percent over five years," said Cui.
According to the association, NEVs accounted for a record 65.2 percent of domestic passenger vehicle retail sales in August, up 9.9 percentage points from a year earlier.
Given the current situation, the target of 40 percent for commercial vehicles is a more pragmatic one, as the adoption of NEVs remains weak on long-haul routes and charging and refueling networks still need to be developed further, Cui added.
He said the strategy is to establish passenger vehicles as a benchmark while allocating resources to address weaknesses in the commercial vehicle sector.
The plan also sets more stringent energy-efficiency goals. By 2030, the average fuel consumption of new passenger vehicles is targeted at 3.3 liters per 100 kilometers, and average electricity consumption for new battery electric passenger vehicles is set at 11.5 kilowatt-hours per 100 km.
Zhang Xiang, a visiting professor at Huanghe Science and Technology University, said that the targets will encourage car manufacturers to produce smaller and lighter vehicles.
"Models failing to meet the mandatory energy consumption standards will not be included in the MIIT's product catalog," Zhang said.
"This signals a shift in the industry's development logic from scale expansion to high-quality growth driven by energy conservation and carbon reduction," he added.
In the field of intelligent driving, the plan aims to promote "highly automated" driving on expressways, urban express roads, and some city streets by 2030. It also seeks to accelerate the development of automotive-specific artificial intelligence models, build high-value scenario libraries for automated driving, and expand the use of AI technologies in vehicles.
With regard to the industry, the plan aims to increase labor productivity by 15 percent from 2025 levels, strengthen Chinese brands, establish globally leading automakers and suppliers, and ensure a carbon emissions peak for the auto industry before 2030.
From an automaker's perspective, BYD said the plan provides systematic and strategic guidance by defining the industry's overall goals, core priorities and implementation path for the next five years.
"It sets higher standards for innovation, the competitive landscape, compliance and international expansion, while responding directly to current industry challenges and companies' operational needs," the company said, adding that it would maintain a high level of R&D investment and focus increasingly on key areas such as electrification and intelligent vehicle technologies.
编辑：Zhou Jinmiao
