A car salesman in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, spread a rumour in late August that the Nanjing government intended to curb car sales, ostensibly in the hope of making more sales.
Word spread fast and panic shopping ensued in the Chinese city over the next few days.
The government responded that the claim was false and the salesman was detained for five days from August 24 for disturbing the social order.
Simple as the farce sounds, it is though provoking on a deeper level.
One question people might ask is why the salesman surnamed Chen would lie in the first place. Several reasons could include the way carmakers set sales targets and then demand that car dealers purchase cars regardless of whether they have customers or will need to keep the cars as stock for months.
China YouthDaily reported that after hearing of the case, a Nanjing car salesman said that if the government had not refuted the rumor so quickly, his dealership would have soon reached its sales goal for the year.
The way cars are sold in China has strained relations between carmakers and dealers, and reports emerge from time to time of dealers, especially those who sell premium brands, combining forces to defend their interests.
Another view is that customers should also be blamed for their credulity. But it should be noted though that curbing car sales has been a frequently adopted measure in China, without warning, to prevent traffic jams and alleviate pollution. In Nanjing though, local regulations mandate that if the government has such a plan, it must inform the public 30-days in advance.
To date, almost all major cities have put brakes on license plates, so people who want to buy a car have to try their luck in a lottery, as they do in Beijing, or buy it for tens of thousands of yuan, as happens in Shanghai.
Reassuring though is the Ministry of Transport’s statements in its 13th five-year plan from 2016 to 2020 that local governments and cities that have introduced such measures should consider alternative means, that they should avoid permanent rules and that they should be cautious about limiting car sales and use.
Join the conversation