Short Torque

Ford and Chrysler announce recalls

Ford is recalling 6,251 imported Explorers on the Chinese mainland due to a faulty rear suspension from Oct 31. The cars were made between Jan 17 and May 31, 2014. Ford will make free repairs of the suspension.

Chrysler is recalling 13,676 imported Jeep Cherokees on the Chinese mainland because of defective windshield wipers. The affected cars were made between Jan 4, 2013, and July 11, 2014. The faulty wipers will be replaced for free.

Vehicle total up, but pollutants down

There were 279 million vehicles in China by the end of 2015, a 5.8 percent increase year-on-year, according to a report from the Ministry of Environmental Protection. But the report also said that pollutants from motor vehicles dropped by 0.3 percent to 4,532.2 metric tons. China has been the world's largest auto producer and market for seven years and vehicle exhaust is a major source of air pollution in the country.

April sales of used cars drop by 3.25%

Sales of used cars in April fell to 855,300 units, a 3.25 percent drop from March, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association. Shen Rong, the association's vice-secretary general, said the drop came as a surprise since sales of used cars in March and April are normally solid. He attributed the slump in sales to dealers and customers waiting for the results of the central government's order to remove a ban that limits the sales of secondhand cars to a city's borders. Two of 299 cities have removed the ban by the end of May 31, a deadline set by the central government.

(China Daily 06/06/2016 page19)