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Tanada wrote:If those 553 are a "very small" percentage they must have a really unusual definition of what constitutes a distinct model of car. In the USA we generally define a model as what the maker defines it as, a Honda Civic is still a Honda Civic no matter what the trim level or optional variations are. The only way to get many thousands of 'models' would be to define every trim level as a distinct model of vehicle which has a little going for it in the sense that a heavier engine or heated seats will lower fuel mileage. However to my way of thinking it seems needlessly complicated, just do tests on the heaviest version of each model and declare if it passes or fails the mileage requirement. That incentivizes the manufacturers to make the most fuel efficient version possible the standard.

5 Stunning Facts About The Chinese Car Market You Need To Know

The Chinese car market is in a word, massive. It's truly gigantic and impressive, something like the world has never seen before, and will likely never ever see again. But what does "massive" really mean? It means the Biggest, the Most Brands and Models, the Most Expensive, the Cheapest, and Fully Electrified. Here is the market in 5 stunning facts:

1. It is the biggest in the world.

The Chinese car market is the biggest passenger car market in the world. It became the largest in 2009, and has remained the largest ever since. In 2015, automakers sold 21.1 million passenger cars, up 7.3% from 2014. That number is less stellar than before, 10% in 2014 and 16% in 2013, but the growth alone (1.1 million) is almost as big as the entire Australian car market (1.15 million).

2. It has the most brands and models....

Chinese car buyers are lucky. They can choose between more brands and more cars than any other car buyer in any other country. The number of brands is staggering. As of May 2016 there are 130 (one-hundred thirty) passenger car brands available in China. And the moment you read this the number is likely higher yet again, as new brands keep popping up.....

......Continued from page 1

The number of cars is so large it is hard to believe. As of May 2016, and it took me a day to count them all, there are 952 (nine-hundred fifty-two) different cars available on the Chinese market. This number includes imported and locally-made cars. The number excludes body-style variants; so the Volkswagen Polo is counted once, and not twice for sedan and hatchback. .....

more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tychodefei ... b475dc3025

KaiserJeep wrote:I believe the USA should do them one better, and also announce the ban of FF vehicles, with a timetable. I like 2030 as that date. Beyond 2030, the only new vehicles that can be sold are EVs and PHEVs, where the power plant can not ever be fuelled with FFs, only biofuels, hydrogen, etc.

This remarkable locomotive achieved extraordinary power outputs and efficiency in coal and water consumption, but no further examples were built since the SNCF focused on electric traction for its future motive power development. The 242A1 was put through trials on many test runs which showed that this locomotive was equal in power output to the existing SNCF electric locomotives at the time. Here, for the first time in Europe, was a steam locomotive with a 20 tonnes axle load which was not only at least as powerful as the most powerful existing high-speed electric locomotive, but which could repeatedly achieve its maximum power without any mechanical trouble. Nothing in Europe could match it.

While the 242A1 was being tested, electrical engineers were designing the locomotives for the 512-kilometre long line between Paris and Lyon, which was to be electrified. An electric locomotive that was to be slightly more powerful than the successful Paris to Orléans 2-D-2 type electric locomotive was being contemplated. When the test results of the 242A1 became known, however, the design was hurriedly changed to incorporate the maximum capacity possible with a 23 tonnes axle load, resulting in the 144 tonnes 9100 class with a power output of more than 1,000 horsepower (750 kilowatts) more than that of the original design. The performances of the Mistral and other heavy passenger express trains would therefore not have been so outstanding if the 242A1 had not existed and Andre Chapelon therefore indirectly influenced French electric locomotive design.

Car sales in China plunged for a sixth consecutive month, intensifying pressure on global carmakers that have staked their future growth on the world’s largest car market.

Retail sales of saloons, multipurpose vehicles and sport utility vehicles dropped 18 per cent to 2.05 million units in November, the China Passenger Car Association said on Monday.

The size of the fall means the market is all but certain to have its first annual decline in at least two decades.