China to boost parallel imported vehicles

An Audi h-tron Quattro concept car is displayed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, Jan 11, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

BEIJING - China will boost pilots of parallel vehicle imports in its free trade zones, allowing cars to be imported without providing authorization from carmakers.

The program is a key measure to boost "supply-side reforms,"a current theme that includes reducing ineffective and low-end supply, a guideline published on the website of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said.

Customs will streamline procedures related with the program to cut clearance costs for dealers, the guideline said.

Registration services for parallel imported vehicles will be improved, it said.

Such vehicles are usually cheaper than similar models from domestic dealers or simply not available through official retail channels.

The State Council piloted the plan in China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2014 before extending it to other free trade zones including Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian in 2015.

The guideline was jointly issued by eight departments, including the MOC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.