article_snippet.sent: Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo all launched gasoline-electric hybrids for the Chinese market at the Shanghai Auto Show, while Chinese manufacturer BYD has been an early pioneer of electric and hybrid cars.
article_snippet.sent: But Chinese drivers haven't wholeheartedly embraced the concept.
article_snippet.sent: Even though China overtook the United States as the world's largest car market in 2009, sales of electric and hybrid vehicles, while increasing quickly, still lag behind the U.S., where more than 100,000 were sold last year.
article_snippet.sent: Few Chinese have American-style garages where the vehicles can be charged overnight.
article_snippet.sent: but it's too expensive," Li said, referring to the hyper luxury electric sports car developed by Elon Musk that has seen weak sales in China.
article_snippet.sent: Shanghai resident Lei Gu, 35, learned to drive as a student and Microsoft employee in Seattle and loved driving her compact Geo on the open U.S. roads.
article_snippet.sent: But when her returned to China nine years ago, her chose not to purchase a car.
article_snippet.sent: If Shanghai's extensive subway system doesn't take her where her wants to go, her uses a popular Uber-like taxi app -- or rents a car.
article_snippet.sent: A recent report by consultants Bain & Company suggested that even though China's love affair with a car began late, a car may already be souring.