See:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gFG9YgNaU1T9_fcTl_NbxR1PKPtw
Article begins:
China's first mass-produced hybrid car goes on sale: car maker
BEIJING (AFP) China's first mass-produced
hybrid electric car hit the market on Monday, its
manufacturer said, in a move aimed at driving the
nation to the cutting edge of the world's green auto industry.
The car is made by BYD Auto, a Chinese company
backed by American Warren Buffett, one of the
world's most successful investors who owns 9.9 percent of the firm.
The F3DM is also the world's first mass-produced
plug-in hybrid car, meaning owners can charge it
from powerpoints at home for the first time, as
well as in specialised electric car charging stations, according to BYD.
BYD president Wang Chuanfu was quoted by Chinese
media as saying that his firm and China were on
their way to being world leaders in the fuel-efficient auto industry.
"Through the F3DM dual-mode electric vehicle, BYD
will grab a head-start in the new energy
automobile market," he said at the launch in the
southern city of Shenzhen, according to Auto 18,
an online platform for China's auto industry.
A spokeswoman for the company confirmed the
launch took place on Monday, but gave no other details.
BYD, which also specialises in making
rechargeable batteries, only started making cars
in 2003 when it bought a bankrupt state-owned auto company. . . .
