Auto Sales Boom Drives Fuel Demand in Asia

EW DELHI, India – Now is a good time to be selling cars in India. Sachin Kapoor, who sells General Motors cars at T & T Motors in New Delhi, says he can barely keep up with customers taking advantage of cheap bank loans to buy their first car or trade up to a newer model.

“Even middle and lower middle-class families are buying cars,” he said. “As the Indian economy continues to grow, the demand for cars will only go up and up.”

It’s similar in China, where double-digit economic growth has lifted millions out of poverty.

But the skyrocketing number of new vehicles means more air pollution, traffic jams and a big spike in oil consumption. That has authorities searching for cheaper and cleaner alternatives.

AP