O carro conduzindo a transformação urbana (Fuvest 2006)
"CHINA has begun to enter the age of mass car consumption. This is a great and historic advance." So proclaimed the state-run news agency, Xinhua, last year. Environmentalists may feel a twinge of fear at this burgeoning romance with motoring. But a rapid social and economic transformation is under way in urban China, and the car is steering it. In 2002 demand for cars in China soared by 56%, far more than even the rosiest projections. The next year growth quickened to 75%, before slowing in 2004 (when the government tightened rules on credit for car purchases) to around 15%. But in a sluggish global market, China's demand remains mesmerising. Few expect this year's growth to dip below 10%. As long as the economy goes on galloping at its current high-single-digit clip, many expect car sales to increase by 10-20% annually for several years to come. The Economist June 4th 2005
Fonte: The Economist, June 4th 2005.
Which of these statements is true according to the passage?
- A) China became a car culture in 2003 thanks to the government's industrial development policy.
- B) Car sales in China are expected to increase by 10% at most as soon as the global market recovers.
- C) Unless the global economy slows down, China's rate of growth will remain in high single figures.
- D) The car industry has been crucial for the radical changes urban China is undergoing.
- E) Despite all rosy projections, China's economic growth for the next few years may be quite slow.