Comparing the life cycle Greenhouse Gas emissions from vehicle production in China and the USA: implications for targeting the reduction opportunities

China is responsible for around one-quarter of global vehicle production. The associated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions have become a major concern to the industrial sustainable development. With the aim of identifying the opportunities of cutting GHG emissions from China’s automotive industry, this study estimates the life cycle GHG emissions from vehicle production in China and compares the results with the case in the USA from multiple perspectives. The results reveal that the GHG emissions from the production of a standard internal combustion engine-based passenger vehicle in China are around 9.6 ton per vehicle, 54% higher than the US level of 6.2 ton per vehicle. The power-intensive nature of vehicle production and China’s higher GHG emission intensity of power generation are the major reasons behind the difference. Accordingly, total GHG emissions from passenger vehicle production in China were around 173.9 million tons in 2013, accounting for nearly 3% of the GHG emissions from the manufacturing and construction sector. Based on the analysis, it is recommended that China should further optimize the grid mix and reduce the emission intensity of power generation. Besides, emission intensities of steel and aluminum productions should be further reduced through applying energy-efficient technologies and promoting material recycling.