China's SUV Boom Fueled By Road Rage Concerns, Other Factors

Cameron Aubernon
by Cameron Aubernon

A handful of factors are fueling China’s current SUV boom, with road-rage protection at the top of the list.

SUV registrations rose 48 percent during Q1 2015 while accounting for 27 percent of all registrations during the period compared to three years ago, Bloomberg reports. Sanford C. Bernstein senior analyst Robin Zhu says the boom is in part due to increasing incidences of road rage, prompting “sane” motorists to buy SUVs “for self defense” against “the angry ones” on the road.

Other contributors to the boom include rough roads (of the literal sort) outside the nation’s cities, lower fuel prices, and the introduction of low-cost SUVs and crossovers with prices beginning at ¥130,000 ($21,000 USD); 49 such models were or will be introduced by domestic automakers during 2014 and 2015.

[Source: Navigator84/ Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 3.0]

Cameron Aubernon
Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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  • Speedlaw Speedlaw on May 27, 2015

    True. In the Truck, folks see you and avoid. In the Golf, I get shut down by moms in minivans like I'm not ever there. In the BMW, they scatter when they see the kidney grille in the rearview. I'm driving all three cars the same way, same speeds, same merge patterns. This changes. When you need to get into a line of cars, the Golf goes first, the truck second, and suddenly no one can see the BMW.

    • SaulTigh SaulTigh on May 27, 2015

      That's a leave me alone car if I ever saw one. Ride around shirtless in the summer with the windows down and the classic rock blaring and people will give you a wide birth. Love it.

  • Oldyak Oldyak on May 28, 2015

    I drive a Fiat 500 daily 40 miles round trip in Memphis and have had few problems.

    • See 3 previous
    • KW1 KW1 on May 28, 2015

      @RideHeight Ha, two ways to get to the same place.

  • GiddyHitch GiddyHitch on May 28, 2015

    Chinese drivers are a curious species. You have drivers doing 80 kph in the fast lane, 150 kph in the slow lane, reversing on the highway because they missed their exit or interchange, driving onto a highway via an offramp or off a highway via an onramp, playing chicken with each other every time there is a merge situation or traffic or any kind, and yet, the only time they lay on their horns is when there is an absolute standstill and no one is moving and a blaring horn has absolutely no effect other than to add to everyone's misery. Yes, it's terrible over there.

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