Shanghai (ZXZC)- On March 9, SAIC-GM-Wuling, General Motors’ light-vehicle joint venture with two Chinese automakers, put 28 variants of “China Ⅵ” models onto the market at a stroke, with guiding prices ranging from RMB34,800 to RMB74,800.

The automaker said the newly-launched models are all from Wuling brand, including minibuses, mini trucks and MPVs, and involving a variety of power forms like 1.2L, 1.5L and 1.5T.

(Photo source: Wuling's WeChat account)

All light-duty vehicles sold and registered from July 1, 2020 are required to meet the China Ⅵ emission standard, according to a document jointly issued by China's environmental protection department and the AQSIQ on December 23, 2016.

Compared with the "China V" standards, the new rules demand substantially fewer pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matters and introduce limits on particulate number and ammonia.

By setting two types of emission limits, the China Ⅵ standard is set to implemented in a systematic fashion. The China 6a is the standard that light-duty vehicles sold and registered from July 1, 2020 should meet, and the China 6b is for July 1, 2023.

A number of cities and provinces who are struggling with severe air contamination have decided to conduct both phases much earlier than the state's schedule. Some cities or provinces like Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangdong opted to skip the China 6a and directly execute the China 6b standard from July 1, 2019.

The joint venture recently earns much applause with its rapid response to the coronavirus epidemic. Just like its decisive move to produce the urgently needed masks, SGMW continues its straightforward work style by making the entire lineup of Wuling brand meet the China 6b standard at one sweep, three years ahead of the date required.

With the effective date approaching, some automakers are saddled with increasing pressure as they have been not well-prepared for the product shift, and the situation seems to be worsened due to the coronavirus epidemic. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) has proposed to delay the nationwide implementation of the China Ⅵ standard, according to a local media outlet, citing Chen Shihua, assistant to the secretary-general of the association, which is regarded as the effort to ease automakers' burden. The official proposal to-day remains undisclosed, and whether it will be legally approved has been left unknown.