Tucked into Tuesday's announcement on China's decision to provide hefty subsidies of up to almost $9,000 for private purchases of electric battery cars--a measure to stimulate demand in the world's biggest auto market--is a new incentiveprogram for small gasoline-fueled cars.

Along with the pilot incentiveprogram for all-electric cars and plug-in electric vehicles, China Tuesday announced it plans to roll out a nationwide program that provides 3,000 yuan ($440) a car in subsidies for consumers buying certain fuel-efficient versions of cars with 1.6-liter or smaller engines.

Last year, China successfully reversed plummeting sales in its auto sector with policymeasures that included a purchase tax cut on smaller-engine vehicles. Those policies continued this year with some modifications: The purchase tax cut, for instance, was partially reinstated to 7.5%, though it's still lower than the previous 10% level.

Tuesday's move to offer consumerincentives to stimulate demand for those small cars, according to auto-industry executives, reflects Beijing's fear of a slowdown in China's rapidly growing auto market.

The industry executives believe the small-car purchase tax cut and other stimulus policies implemented since the global financialcrisis of late 2008 have pulled ahead demand so much that there may be a fairly big deceleration of auto sales in store for later this year. Beijing shares the fear of that scenario, they said.

Already, in China's mega auto markets, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, auto retailers are reporting that they are having an increasingly tough time selling cars. While consumers earlier paid premiums to get their hands on hot-selling cars, some of those dealers they are now offering discounts and other incentives in some cases to encourageconsumers to buy cars.

Stimulus money of 3,000 yuan may not be enticing enough for people when buying a 50,000-yuan small car. But it effectively reinstates the tax cut Chinese consumers partially lost at the start of this year.

Norihiko Shirouzu

• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)
• program [´prəugræm] n.说明v.为...安排节目 (初中英语单词)
• instance [´instəns] n.例子，实例，例证 (初中英语单词)
• previous [´pri:viəs] a.先，前，以前的 (初中英语单词)
• financial [fi´nænʃəl] a.金融的，财政的 (初中英语单词)
• encourage [in´kʌridʒ] vt.鼓励；怂勇；促进 (初中英语单词)
• announcement [ə´naunsmənt] n.通告；宣布；言谈 (高中英语单词)
• battery [´bætəri] n.炮兵连；炮台；电池 (高中英语单词)
• stimulate [´stimjuleit] v.刺激；服兴奋剂 (高中英语单词)
• successfully [sək´sesfəli] ad.成功地 (高中英语单词)
• consumer [kən´sju:mə] n.消费者；用户 (高中英语单词)
• crisis [´kraisis] n.转折点；危机 (高中英语单词)
• offering [´ɔfəriŋ] n.提供；礼物；捐献 (高中英语单词)
• policy [´pɔlisi] n.政策；权谋；保险单 (英语四级单词)
• partially [´pɑ:ʃəli] ad.部分地；局部地 (英语四级单词)
• stimulus [´stimjuləs] n.刺激(物)；促进因素 (英语四级单词)
• increasingly [in´kri:siŋli] ad.日益，愈加 (英语四级单词)
• incentive [in´sentiv] n.刺激；鼓励；动机 (英语六级单词)
• effectively [i´fektivli] ad.有效地 (英语六级单词)