Gas prices are as bad here in the U.S. as they are in China. So fuel prices and concerns over air quality for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing should send customers looking for hybrids, right? Unfortunately it seems that the Chinese automakers do not offer many alternatives to gasoline, and the mainstream market is not yet demanding alternative energy.

The Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers published statistics display's the public's lack of appetite for alternate energy cars in China. The Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers regard any car that is not a powered by gasoline or diesel as a ‘new energy car’ which include electric cars, hybrid cars, LPG, and hydrogen powered cars. In total, 366 new energy cars were sold in China from Jan to June in 2008. On the brighter side, that still represents a 107 percent increase over the previous year's statistic.

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