Chinese government has detailed a stimulus plan to encourage farmers to buy automobiles, which may bring an auto sales surge in rural areas, experts said on Sunday.

Following an announcement in January that the central government would float 5 billion yuan (US$732 million) to subsidize rural residents who buy automobiles, the Ministry of Finance announced on Friday the subsidies would be 10 percent and 13 percent, respectively, for those who purchase automobiles and motorcycles.

Farmers who buy light trucks and minivans from March 1 to December 31, would get a 10 percent discount, with the ceiling subsidies of 5,000 yuan.

Subsidies of 2,000 and 3,000 yuan can be use to replace old three-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles respectively.

From this February 1 to January 31 in 2013, farmers who buy motorcycles would get 13 percent of the purchase price back, with ceiling subsidies of 650 yuan.

Every rural household may purchase two motorcycles at most.

Yang Dayong, the sales department deputy director from the Chongqing-based Chana Auto Co. Ltd. (ChangAn), said the new subsidy policy was expected to bring a new sales surge for minivans.

ChangAn and SGMW are the two largest minivan makers, which now take 21 percent and 51 percent of the total minivan market, respectively.

Driven by the auto stimulus plan, ChangAn has sold 11.3 percent more units in the first two months over the same period last year.

Yang predicted that ChangAn's minivan sales in 2009 would grow 25 percent year-on-year.

(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2009)