When did China III start production?
4 Answers
The China III standard for automobiles was implemented on July 1, 2008. According to national regulations, starting from July 1, 2008, the 'China III' emission testing standard for motor vehicle exhaust emissions became mandatory nationwide. This undoubtedly posed a significant impact on many automobile manufacturers, especially presenting both opportunities and challenges for bus manufacturers, one of the main players in the commercial vehicle sector. The upgrade in emission standards is beneficial for environmental protection. Below is an introduction to the China III standard: 1. The China III emission standard mainly refers to: HC emission levels below 0.2g/km, CO emission levels below 2.3g/km, NOx emission levels below 0.15g/km, with no PM requirement. 2. The China III emission standard is equivalent to the European III emission standard, meaning the pollutant content in the exhaust is similar to that of Euro III. The difference is that new vehicles must be equipped with an OBD, or On-Board Diagnostics system.
I remember the China III emission standards officially took effect for production in 2007, which was when I began delving deeper into automotive knowledge. The upgrade in emission regulations mobilized the entire industry, with many automakers busy revamping production lines to reduce pollutant emissions. Coincidentally, I had just bought a car then and noticed all new vehicles had to display updated emission labels – a clear sign of growing environmental awareness. The China III standards marked China's automotive transition from extensive to refined development, paving the way for subsequent China IV and V standards while making exhaust treatment technologies more commonplace. Technically, light-duty vehicles implemented the standards from July 1, 2007, with heavy-duty vehicles following slightly later, but the core requirement was that all new vehicles had to comply from that year onward or face roadworthiness restrictions. For car owners, this brought a slight increase in maintenance costs, but significantly improved air quality, accelerating the green mobility trend.
As an average car owner, I encountered the China III emission standards when they were first implemented in 2007. When I purchased my car, the salesperson emphasized that the new models had cleaner emissions, which helped reduce smog. Related to this, the implementation of the standards accelerated the phase-out of older vehicles, leading to more energy-efficient options flooding the market. I observed that the used car market also changed afterward—the value of China II vehicles plummeted, while new China III cars, though slightly more expensive, were more fuel-efficient in the long run. In detail, automakers had already started preparing early in 2007, and after July, new cars were commonly labeled with the China III tag, signaling the beginning of an era focused on environmental protection.
In the automotive manufacturing industry, the National III emission standards started production in 2007. Our technical team installed additional exhaust treatment devices. Consequently, this made vehicles more environmentally friendly but slightly more complex to maintain, while factories adjusted production lines to reduce carbon emissions. Simply put, the standards drove the entire industry upgrade, with the details officially implemented in July 2007.
