STORY: Chinese electric vehicles reshape Israeli auto market
DATELINE: July 30, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:38
LOCATION: Jerusalem
CATEGORY: ECONOMY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of Chinese electric vehicles
2. STANDUP (English): WANG ZHUOLUN, Xinhua correspondent
3. SOUNDBITE (English): TOMEL HADAR, Auto industry observer
 
STORYLINE:
 
STANDUP (English): WANG ZHUOLUN, Xinhua correspondent
"Here I am in a BYD shop near the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. In the first half of 2023, Chinese electric vehicles have continued their leading position in the Israeli market, gaining increasing popularity among the consumers."
 
The data released by the Israel Vehicle Importers Association in early July showed that China's BYD and Geely were the champion and runner-up of Israel's best-selling EV brands in the first half of this year.
 
Over a third of new EVs sold in Israel during this period were subcompact crossover SUV Atto 3 produced by BYD, which has opened six sales and service centers in Israel.
 
EVs were rarely seen in Israel before 2021 when Chinese car companies first started to enter the country's market, where EVs only accounted for 3.8 percent of total car sales.
 
But in 2022 and the first half of 2023, this proportion climbed to 10 percent and 16.3 percent, respectively, surpassing that of many European countries. Behind this change, Chinese EVs played a prominent role.
 
SOUNDBITE (English): TOMEL HADAR, Auto industry observer
"In Israel, we are always open to innovation. Currently, I think that we have about 20 Chinese brands, which is I think it's a lot more than almost any other country has to offer Israel.
Chinese cars make technology more accessible to us. That's why we follow everything in China."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jerusalem.
(XHTV)