What does Luz-AZ mean?

[KiraMarie]

Luz-AZ was the license plate designation for early private vehicles in Shanghai, which is no longer in use. Currently, private vehicle license plates in Shanghai have progressed to the letter F. License plates are metal or plastic plates attached to the front and rear of a vehicle, typically made of aluminum, tin, plastic, or paper, displaying the vehicle's registration number, registration region, and other relevant information. They serve as unique identifiers for vehicle registration, allowing authorities to determine the vehicle's origin and access registration details including ownership. Large vehicle plates feature black characters on a yellow background with black borders; trailer plates also use this color scheme. Small vehicle plates display white characters on a blue background with white borders.

[PrestonRose]

Hey buddy, recently there are indeed more and more green-plated cars with 'Hu AZ' prefixes on the road. Actually, this 'Hu AZ' is the exclusive first three digits of Shanghai's new energy vehicle license plates, completely different from regular blue plates like Hu A·12345. If you look closely, you'll notice these cars all have gradient green plates, whether they're pure electric or plug-in hybrids, they all fall under this category. I've checked the info—this numbering segment is specially allocated by the DMV to distinguish energy types, like Beijing uses 'Jing AD' and Guangzhou uses 'Yue AA'. Getting to 'AZ' shows that Shanghai really has a substantial number of new energy vehicles, with letters already reaching 'Z'. Next time you see a Tesla or BYD with a Hu AZ green plate, you can be sure of it!

[LaGrace]

Last week when I accompanied my friend to the DMV for license plate registration, I also noticed this detail. The combination 'Hu AZ' is actually a special new energy vehicle license plate segment issued by Shanghai, belonging to the green plate series. This letter combination conveys several pieces of information: the first character 'Hu' is the abbreviation for Shanghai, 'A' represents the issuing authority code, and 'Z' serves as the sequence identifier for new energy vehicles. Currently, plates ranging from 'Hu AA' to 'Hu AZ' are being issued, indicating Shanghai's substantial base of new energy vehicles. I recommend directly checking the license plate segment announcements through the Traffic Management 12123 APP or observing whether the vehicle uses green license plates, which is the most straightforward method for identification.

[LenaLynn]

The combination of Hu AZ belongs to the new energy vehicle license plate sequence issued in Shanghai. This type of license plate has three identifying features: a striking green background, a plate number consisting of the province abbreviation + letter A + second letter + six digits, and the front license plate is one size smaller than that of ordinary vehicles. The rules for letter usage are quite specific; the first letter after Hu A, if it falls between D, F, G, or Z, is exclusively for new energy vehicles. Specifically, the AZ combination might be a new segment introduced in the second half of 2023. When checking specific vehicle models, I recommend paying attention to the location of the charging port: pure electric vehicles usually have it on the left or right side of the body, while hybrid vehicles retain the fuel tank design.