Cars are playing an increasingly important role in people's lives and have become an indispensable "buddy" in our everyday life as they are growing in number and being more than just a means of transportation. However, while offering convenience to people, they impose potential risks such as auto pollution. 

Auto pollution exists in two forms, one being exhaust emission and noise that pollute the environment outside the car, the other being harmful substances released by car body material that pollute the environment inside the car. For the first one, relevant laws, regulations and standards on discharge of air pollutants and noise by autos have been formulated and issued; moreover, systems to ratify car models, review production conformity and inspect discharge have been implemented. However, the environment within vehicles is some sort of a "blind spot" that draws little attention and will certainly become a "time bomb" to people's health if nothing is done with it.

Many users see no harm brought about by air pollution inside their vehicles when buying one, as they see more of the brand, type, exterior, and features. In fact, large amount of harmful gas exists inside the small space, and "new car smell" many buyers may call actually shows their concern about harmful substances. The following data will drive people on the edge of their seats: the TVOC contained within cars is 30 percent higher on average than the indoor air quality standard, and the total bacterial count is on average 77.65 percent higher than the indoor air quality standard-grade 1 and 255.30 percent higher than the standard adopted by Singapore, according to a research recently undertaken by Physical and Chemical Research Center of Science and Environmental Analysis that is affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, for the tested 50 popular car models. Such results are by no means the silver lining.

Actually, the WHO has clearly listed in-car pollution into mankind's ten major health threats with hypertension and AIDS among others. Other countries have also attached importance to this issue as Germany for one, as a major auto country, is the earliest to implement in-car pollution control and has issued mature laws and regulations, and the US has also started to pay attention to this issue since the 1980s and 90s by regulating car material through legal means. It's a shame that China is still a starter in this regard. Though the Ministry of Environmental Protection and General Administration of Quality Supervision have jointly established an assessment guide as to in-car air quality and stipulated intensity limits for 8 common in-car volatile organic compounds, they are not legally-binding and cannot work effectively. Besides, it is a complicated systematic project to control and treat environmental pollution and of huge cost. To make things worse, it is hard to let consumers "recognize" the necessity of in-car air pollution control and efforts in this regard are not really paying off from the market. Therefore, most auto companies have varied levels and standards for in-car environment control and treatment. The lack of a universal standard thus leads to a low level of treatment in the auto market nationwide.

It is not surprising that Chinese car owners complain about the continuous "health threat" imposed by in-car air pollution, expect someone to end the "side effects" of cars, aspire to the kind of "safety" that foreign car owners enjoy and question if it is a trade-off between having cars and health.

It is to our relief that certain homegrown brands are not willing to act as the "silent majority". During the NPC and CPPCC (also known as the two sessions) in 2012, Li Shufu, Geely's Chairman, made a proposal on improving in-car air quality and preventing in-car environment pollution, and suggested that the assessment guide on in-car air quality be made mandatory as soon as possible. According to an "inspection report on healthy cars" officially released on September 14 by chewen.com，the world's first professional auto Q&A website that is based on SNS with real-name registration system, Geely Emgrand EC8 stood out in a sampling inspection with 18 kinds of PAHs totaling 0.2 mg/kg, one of the top three among all the 44 models tested and the first among China's homegrown brands. 

As many as 32 brands, 44 models, were included in the inspection. PAH content contained in automotive interiors that have access to the human body such as seats, headrests, steering wheels were tested by a third institution that is certified both nationally and internationally. And the test process was fully in line with German GS standards and a stricter but easier-to-understand rating system was formed based on PAHs standards in GS. As the results showed, 11 major models from China had cancer threats, among which Chang'an Yuexiang, Weizhi by FAW Tianjin and the A3 by Chery had a PAH content of over 10mg/kg, which is rather likely to cause cancer in both adults and children.

Geely, as a responsible auto company, is awakening step by step the whole society to pay attention to in-car air pollution and striving to safeguard the health of car owners who have repaid Geely's care for them with wise choices. According to Geely's financial report, its 222,000 cars were sold in the first half of this year, finishing 48.3 percent of its 2012 sales target and bringing an operation revenue of 11.177 billion yuan, an year-on-year growth of 6 percent. Geely achieved a net profit of 1.02 billion yuan, up 8.7 percent over year-ago. In a year when China-based brands are severely hit, Geely's remarkable performance is surely a reward for its constant effort to improve product quality and forge world-class cars.

"Let Geely cars go around the whole world" is Geely's mission. To represent the best of Chinese autos requires not only good configuration and engines, but also excellent safety performance. Geely, as the backbone of China's homegrown brands, has always been caring for and protecting consumers. And it is Geely's hope that more such brands can focus on safety, truly cater for the needs of consumers and care for the lives of consumers so that people will truly expect a society with more cars.