Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other departments jointly launched a new round of new energy vehicle rural activities, with 124 models included in the catalog. Tesla Model 3/Y was included in the list for the first time, while local brands such as BYD and Geely launched a full matrix product covering micro cars to mid to high end SUVs.

This policy has been continuously promoted for six years, driving nearly ten million new energy vehicles to enter the county-level market. Against the backdrop of slowing growth and overcapacity in the automotive industry, the rural market is becoming a "new blue ocean" for car companies to compete in. However, issues such as lagging charging infrastructure, gaps in after-sales service, and disputes over product compatibility remain key bottlenecks that hinder further development.

From 'Sales Growth' to 'Ecological Restructuring'

The 2025 campaign for new energy vehicles going to rural areas presents unprecedented breadth and depth, with 124 selected models, an increase of 25 models compared to 2024, setting a record high in the six years since the policy was implemented. The vehicle structure presents a diversified breakthrough: from 50000 yuan level economy small cars to 300000 yuan level mid to high end models, it fully covers, and for the first time includes characteristic categories such as off-road vehicles, commercial vehicles, and pickup trucks, meeting the diverse needs of rural areas for hauling goods and field operations.

The lineup of participating car companies includes traditional car companies, new car making forces, and joint venture brands. For the first time, traditional giants such as FAW, BYD, and Changan, representatives of new forces such as NIO, Ideal, and Xiaopeng, as well as multinational and joint venture brands such as Tesla and SAIC Volkswagen, participated collectively on a large scale.

Innovatively adopting a three-dimensional promotion model of "online+offline" for policies. Offline, the main venue in the county serves as a hub to radiate to surrounding towns and villages; Build an online cloud exhibition and sales platform, providing panoramic display, live shopping guidance and other functions, and connecting the "online, offline, offline delivery and after-sales follow-up" service loop.

The county-level new energy vehicle market has enormous potential, but the penetration rate is seriously insufficient. As of early 2025, the penetration rate of new energy in fifth tier cities is only 27.2%, far lower than that in first tier cities. In 2023, the penetration rate of electric vehicles in rural areas will only be 17%, which is significantly lower than that in urban areas.

Market research forecasts show that by 2030, the rural car ownership per thousand people is expected to reach 160 vehicles, with a total ownership of over 70 million vehicles and a market size of 500 billion yuan.

New energy vehicles will be upgraded to rural areas, with a new match from "price war" to "customized sinking"

The insufficient charging infrastructure is a key bottleneck restricting the development of county-level markets. The 2025 campaign not only extends the subsidy scope from the purchase process to trade in old for new and charging infrastructure to make up for shortcomings, but also proposes for the first time an integrated promotion plan of "car purchase discounts+energy support+service guarantee".

According to data from the Ministry of Finance, in 2024 alone, more than 7.5 billion yuan will be invested in pilot projects to fill the gaps in county-level charging and swapping facilities. The plan is to achieve "full coverage of counties and villages, with stations in every township" within three years. The policy objective has shifted from simply stimulating sales to building a sustainable rural travel ecosystem. In the pilot program of filling gaps in county-level charging and swapping facilities, there will be 67 pilot counties in 2024, and the number will be expanded to 75 by 2025. Luzhou and other regions have clearly set the goal of building 29000 charging stations, while Zhejiang Province plans to build more than 2.3 million charging stations by 2025, including no less than 900000 in rural areas.

The synergistic effect of policies is accelerating. The combination of the "Car to the Countryside" campaign and "Car Network Interactive Technology" promotes the "Integrated Light Storage and Charging" model. Through flexible interaction between new energy vehicles and the large power grid, it not only solves the problem of weak rural power grids, but also creates comprehensive economic benefits of "green electricity charging+energy storage income+emergency protection".

From 'policy dividends' to' real demand '

Although the policy toolbox continues to expand, the complexity of the sinking market far exceeds expectations. Rural consumers' demand for vehicles presents a "pragmatic" feature: the cargo space needs to accommodate agricultural tools, the range needs to meet cross township commuting, and maintenance costs need to be controlled within a thousand yuan. These demands are misaligned with the usual "intelligence" and "high-end" routes of car companies.

The policy has undoubtedly accelerated the strategic positioning and fierce competition of car companies in the sinking market. Tesla's historic first inclusion in the subsidy catalog is widely interpreted as a landmark event of high-end brands accelerating their penetration into the sinking market. Its advantages are obvious. With a strong brand halo and a reputation almost on par with BYD in the county and town markets, it has successfully shaped its image as the "preferred choice for smart electric vehicles". In addition, with over 500 directly operated stores covering 100 cities nationwide and a network guarantee of more than 11500 supercharging stations, it has provided basic support for its sinking.

However, the real challenges are equally severe, as the high threshold of Model 3/Y starting price exceeding 200000 yuan contrasts sharply with the mainstream consumption range of 50000-100000 yuan in rural markets. The updated version is limited to minor configuration adjustments and does not provide targeted optimization for common complex road conditions in rural areas, such as potholes and mud. This forces Tesla to rely more on supporting financial policies, such as the "5-year zero interest" plan, to alleviate price pressure.

New energy vehicles will be upgraded to rural areas, with a new match from "price war" to "customized sinking"

In contrast, local car companies such as BYD and Geely have launched a "full matrix, saturated" attack based on their deep understanding of segmented markets. BYD has launched a huge lineup of 11 models, ranging from the affordable Seagull (microcar) to the Tang DM-i (mid to high end SUV) that meets both household and space needs, accurately covering different budget levels and functional requirements, with a focus on cost-effectiveness and multifunctional branding; Brands such as Wuling and Jianghuai focus more on practical scenarios. For example, the Wuling Hongguang MINI EV design allows for the installation of farm tool trailers, while Jianghuai Yttrium has strengthened the dust sealing of battery packs to cope with rural dust environments.

At the same time, local high-end models such as the Ideal L6 and NIO ET5 are also trying to tap into the demand for improved models in rural areas through the policy of going to the countryside. However, it is urgent to break through the inherent cognitive barrier of "high price equals no practicality", which requires brands to make more down-to-earth efforts in functional design and communication strategies.

It is worth noting that some intelligent functions may encounter difficulties in adapting to local conditions, such as voice control being idle by users due to low dialect recognition rate, and the large screen in the car increasing operational complexity. Market research shows that rural users have a 78% demand for safety features such as "reverse camera" and "tire pressure monitoring", while less than 20% are interested in functions such as "autonomous driving" and "voice assistants".

New energy vehicles will be upgraded to rural areas, with a new match from "price war" to "customized sinking"

In addition, the sinking market also has a huge blind spot in after-sales service and the problem of product demand mismatch. The authorized repair and maintenance outlets of automobile manufacturers are highly concentrated in the central areas of cities and counties, and the vast rural areas far away from core towns face the dilemma of easy car buying but difficult maintenance. A routine maintenance takes up to 6 hours, far exceeding the urban experience, seriously weakening the convenience of car use.

The deployment of new energy vehicles to rural areas in 2025 is not only a concentrated release of policy dividends, but also a key test for industry transformation. From policy driven sales to demand defined products, from infrastructure filling gaps to service building ecosystems, every link requires deep collaboration among car companies, governments, and third-party organizations.

In the short term, the construction of charging networks requires the introduction of social capital, and the after-sales system can learn from the "county-level partner" model to reduce operating costs; In the long run, the true activation of the rural market relies on the two-way flow of urban and rural factors, such as combining agricultural product logistics with new energy vehicle usage scenarios, or optimizing county-level transportation planning through vehicle networking data, bringing deeper optimization to lower tier cities.