When did the China III standard start?

[SanElliana]

The China III standard was implemented on July 1, 2008. The China III standard refers to China's third-stage vehicle emission standards, which are equivalent to the Euro III emission standards in terms of tailpipe pollutant levels. The key difference is that new vehicles must be equipped with an OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) system. China's emission standards are categorized as: China I, China II, China III, China IV, China V, and China VI. The China VI emission standard is implemented in two phases: Phase I requires all sold and registered vehicles to comply with the China VI A standard starting from July 1, 2020; Phase II requires all sold and registered vehicles to comply with the China VI B standard starting from July 1, 2023.

[DeGrant]

I remember the National III emission standard was officially implemented nationwide on July 1, 2007, when I was still working in an auto parts market. In fact, major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou started pilot implementation as early as 2005, which forced many dealers to urgently retrofit three-way catalytic converters on their stock vehicles. By July 2008, even heavy-duty diesel vehicles were required to meet National III standards, leading to massive production line upgrades across the industry. Now, 15-year-old National III vehicles are basically subject to traffic restrictions. Last time I helped my elderly neighbor check his 2004 Volkswagen Bora, its green emission label had long turned yellow, making many urban areas completely inaccessible. Environmental protection policies are really tightening step by step - now National VI vehicles are already everywhere on the streets.

[LeAdriel]

As a veteran taxi driver, I know this all too well. Our fleet encountered the pilot program back in 2003. When Beijing mandated that all new taxis meet China III emission standards, those old natural gas-powered Xialis somehow got through by installing purifiers as a workaround. By 2007 when the policy went nationwide, auto repair shops had endless queues of carburetor vehicles waiting for retrofits. Nowadays, I can't stand those smoke-belching old trucks on the road - their exhaust coats windshields with soot. Just the other day when dropping my kid at school, we got stuck behind a China III diesel light truck spewing blue smoke from its exhaust pipe like a wood-fired tractor.

[MacRiver]

Who in the vintage car collecting scene doesn’t study emission policies? China’s National III standards were first piloted in Beijing and Shanghai in 2005 and fully implemented nationwide by 2007, effectively sentencing carburetor-equipped models to death. My 2003 Santana 2000 almost failed its emissions test last year during the annual inspection. Nowadays, playing with classic cars requires careful planning: National III-compliant cars can barely run outside small towns, as they’re mostly grounded elsewhere. Interestingly, pre-2000 National II cars have become collectibles due to their rarity. Recently, some dealers have been hyping the last batch of National III Santanas, marketing them as 'the last mechanical throttle' nostalgia cars.