China will start to implement the China VI-b emission standards for vehicles starting from July 1, banning production, imports and sales of models that don't comply with the standards, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on Tuesday in a joint statement with four other authorities.
Industry observers noted the upgraded emission standards may boost sales of models that comply with current standards amid further stabilized prices, while accelerating the promotion of new-energy vehicles (NEVs).
The upgraded standards have more stringent emission requirements for pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides of gas and gasoline-fueled vehicles, compared with the current China VI-a standards.
The new standard will require Real-Driving Emission (RDE) tests of the vehicles while driven on the road, which is not included in the "China VI-a" standard.
As of January 2023, there were more than 1.89 million vehicles in inventory that did not meet the RDE testing requirements, with more than 2 million vehicles in inventory including purchased parts, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed on Tuesday.
For some light-duty vehicles qualified under the China VI-b standards but with a "monitoring only" testing result, sales will be allowed to continue to December 31, read the statement.
