China has begun studying when to ban the production and sale of cars using traditional fuels, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing comments by the vice industry minister, who predicted “turbulent times” for automakers forced to adapt.

The Vice Minister for Industry, Xin Guobin, did not give details on when China, the world’s largest auto market, would implement such a ban but the United Kingdom and France have said they will ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2040.

“Some countries have made a timeline for when to stop the production and sales of traditional fuel cars,” Xin said on Saturday.

“The ministry has also started relevant research and will make such a timeline with relevant departments. Those measures will certainly bring profound changes for our car industry’s development,” he said.

To combat air pollution and close a competitive gap between its newer domestic automakers and their global rivals, China has set goals for electric and plug-in hybrid cars to make up at least a fifth of Chinese auto sales by 2025.