A boom in online orders for condoms and sportswear was registered in Beijing, China’s capital, rather than in the sale of masks and air purifiers, as the city of over 22 million people reeled under the first-ever red alert for rising levels of pollution.
According to search ratings for last week provided by Taobao.com, China’s largest online shopping platform, searches for condoms were clearly correlated with those Chinese cities that had heavy smog.
The heavy smog shrouding Beijing is also proving to be a boon for China’s nascent electric car market, with some dealers saying inquiries about all-electric models are up by almost a tenth.
Beijing issued a first pollution “red alert” on Monday, and set out measures to combat the hazardous smog, including limiting the use of conventional petrol-powered and hybrid cars to alternate days.
But all-electric vehicles are free to drive in the capital
at any time, prompting a rush of inquiries from would-be buyers,
dealers and automakers say.
BYD, backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, is also playing off the smog in its advertising.
“Evil pollution invades, and you don’t have a monkey king?” reads another advertisement on BYD’s official microblog, showing a man in a cloud of pollution calling for help from China’s fabled Monkey King hero.
Automakers said it was too early to say if the increase in inquiries would translate into actual sales.
And even if drivers switch to electric vehicles, it may not alleviate the pollution threat – assuming the cars are recharged using electricity generated by coal-burning power plants.
(With agency inputs)
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