Car lovers who dream of having a life-long relationship with their favourite cars might soon get their wish, as authorities plan to scrap the time limits for car expiration.

Chen Lin, a deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce, told a forum on Sunday in Guangzhou that the ministry is revising certain regulations so that the age of a vehicle would not serve as a criterion forcing the retirement of vehicles.

The revisions could mean a driver would be able to drive a car as long as it met safety and emission standards.

Currently, owners are required to discard their vehicles within 15 years of its manufacture, no matter what condition it is in.

Current regulations stipulate that car owners will have to pass two yearly inspections if they want to continue diving the same car after 15 years and four annual checks after 20 years.

The revision would first apply to private cars and cars designated for civil services.

Chen was quoted by Guangzhou Daily as saying that a detailed, revised edition would be posted on the ministry's website to solicit suggestions and might be circulated this year.

Environmental concerns served as one of the main reasons for the change, Chen was quoted as saying.

"The sharp increase in the number of cars on the road and the high levels of single-car emissions are the main causes of the huge amounts of air pollution," Chen was quoted as saying.

The standards for vehicle emissions were newly added requirements that experts say would speed up the elimination of old types of high-emission vehicles and prod car manufacturers to upgrade their production.

Car owners welcomed the move as a more scientific way to approach car expiration rather than simply judging from age and mileage. However, they also raised concerns that the new regulation might force an early retirement in less than 15 years if their cars fail to meet standards.

"Owners would pay more attention to daily maintenance to meet the emission standards in order to extend their cars' lives," said Lu Xinguang, owner of a 4-year-old Bora.

Yang Huqun, an employee of www.bj2sc.com, a website providing information services for used car owners and buyers, said that the new regulation might stir up the used car market.

"More people may discard their old cars because they produce high emissions and purchase new ones which are more environment-friendly," he said.

"And cars that are old but still in good condition would sell for a good price."

A woman employee of the office of Shanghai Volkswagen said it is still too early to tell the regulation's real impact on car manufacturers, because none of the specifics of the new regulation have been released yet.

(China Daily 09/26/2006 page2)