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Plus, stay tuned because later in the show I’ll tell you why CATL is already putting sodium ion batteries to the test.
Welcome to EV News China — the podcast dedicated to the world’s largest electric vehicle market. Each day, I bring you the latest headlines, insights, and analysis from the heart of China’s booming EV industry — and decode how fast-moving developments in the east are shaping the global EV landscape.
BMW PUSHES SMALL IX1 INTO CHINA EV FIGHT
BMW has launched the 2026 iX1 in China, pushing its smallest electric SUV further into the country’s crowded premium segment. Unveiled on January 21st 2026, the all-electric compact SUV comes in four trims, priced from CNY 228,000 to CNY 268,000.
The car targets buyers weighing up the Audi Q4 e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQA, as foreign brands try to hold ground against fast-moving local EV makers. BMW keeps its familiar look: a large closed-off kidney grille with diamond-pattern accents and chrome trim, smooth side lines, semi-retractable door handles and L-shaped taillights that sharpen rear recognition. The compact SUV measures 4,616 mm in length, with a 2,802 mm wheelbase.
Inside, the iX1 gets a clear tech lift. A dual-screen layout pairs a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster with a 10.7-inch central display, both running BMW iDrive 9. Standard kit now includes 5G connectivity and a suite of driver-assist tools: parking sensors, a reversing camera, lane-keeping assist and Reversing Assistant.
The eDrive25L uses a front-mounted single motor with 204 hp (150 kW) and 510 km CLTC range. The xDrive30L adds a second motor for all-wheel drive and a combined 313 hp (230 kW) and a CLTC range of 450 km. Both use a 66.5 kWh ternary lithium battery pack.
BYD LEANS INTO OVERSEAS MODELS TO STAY AHEAD OF TESLA
As we previously reported, in 2025 BYD sold 4,602,436 new energy vehicles, up 7.7% on the year, and for the first time beat Tesla in battery-electric volumes. Its 2,256,714 BEV sales topped Tesla’s 1,636,129 units.
The shift matters because BYD now leans harder on foreign markets while its home market cools. The firm exported around 1.05m NEVs in 2025, a year-on-year jump of 150%. Management has set a formal target of 1.3m overseas sales for 2026, implying growth of about 24%. Citigroup says executives talk privately of 1.5m-1.6m units abroad next year.
Passenger cars and pickups remain the core. One model stands out. Shark, a pickup sold in Mexico, Brazil and Australia, is the only BYD vehicle not yet on offer in China, showing how the firm now designs and times launches with foreign buyers in mind.
For now the company spreads its external bets. In 2025 its overseas sales split roughly into thirds across Europe, North America and ASEAN. That even spread helps offset rising policy risk in any single region.
The growth has been brisk. BYD’s global NEV sales climbed from 189,689 in 2020 to 4,602,436 in 2025. Yet the latest figures reveal a business that is shifting from plug-in hybrids to pure electric cars and from domestic dependence to broader geographic reach.
https://bit.ly/4t1tkIc
BYD YANGWANG U7 STRETCHES RANGE TO FOUR FIGURES
A Chinese luxury saloon now claims four-digit range. BYD’s Yangwang U7 has been updated for 2026 with a 150 kWh LFP pack and a quoted 1,006 km (625 miles) on a charge. Homologation data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology put energy use at 17.7 kWh per 100 km. That’s about 3.52 miles/kWh if you prefer it that way.
The previous U7, with a 135 kWh battery was less efficient and could go 720 km. BYD has added 15 kWh, 100 kg and 286 km of range, yet cut consumption by about 10%. In a segment where ever larger batteries often bring blunt gains, the U7 points to more careful engineering.
The standard four-motor trim of the updated U7 delivers the full 1,006 km. A more potent variant lifts output from 960 kW (1,287 hp) to 1,000 kW (1,341 hp) but trims range to up to 860 km. Both keep supercar pace: 0–100 km/h in 2.9 seconds. Rear-wheel steering, hydraulic suspension and electronic vertical body control work to keep that power in check.
Launched in March 2025 at 628,000 yuan (about 90,050 dollars), the U7 sits at the top of BYD’s line-up. Deliveries began in May 2025; by the time the updated specs surfaced through October 2025 homologation filings, 1,866 units had reached buyers, according to China EV DataTracker.
The car is a big four-door: 5,265 mm long, 1,998 mm wide, 1,517 mm high, on a 3,160 mm wheelbase. Alongside the pure EV sits a plug-in hybrid with a 2-litre engine, a 52.4 kWh battery and a total range of up to 1,000 km.
https://bit.ly/4t1HFEt
BYD TANG 9 TARGETS CHINA’S ENTRY-LEVEL LUXURY SUV BAND
BYD has begun road tests of its Tang 9, a camouflaged D‑segment flagship SUV due to launch in the first half of 2026. Sitting at the top of the Tang line, it pushes the brand further into China’s entry-level luxury segment.
Based on the Dynasty‑D full-size concept SUV, the Tang 9 is expected to exceed 5 metres in length and 2 metres in width. It will come in both BEV and PHEV versions, lining up against other “9” series contenders such as the Aito M9 and Zeekr 9X. Along with the Han 9 executive sedan, it targets buyers in the 200,000 to 300,000 yuan range (about $28,700 to $43,000).
Spy shots show a lidar sensor for advanced driving assistance and a high-mounted brake light. The side profile carries hidden door handles, multi‑spoke wheels and more chrome around the windows. Inside, the car is expected to use a 2+2+2 layout, with independent seats in the second row.
Branding is still in play. BYD has opened public voting on the final name, with “Tang 9” and “Great Tang” among the options. The firm has reason to test market taste: in 2025 its Dynasty series, which includes the Tang, sold 1.885 million units across its various models.
The Tang 9 extends BYD’s push at the upper end of China’s mass market, using volume from the Dynasty series to attack a 200,000 to 300,000 yuan price band that foreign brands once treated as their own.
https://carnewschina.com/2026/01/22/byd-tang-9-flagship-suv-spied-in-china-official-unveil-in-h1-2026/
CHINA SWATS DOWN MUSK’S FSD TIMELINE
Elon Musk went on record at the World Economic Forum and said Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system could win Chinese approval next month. A Chinese government source was quick to bat away that claim and says it will not.
The unnamed official, cited by state media, undercut Mr Musk’s timeline and said China will not clear FSD “in the near future”. China Daily went further, stating that recent claims of imminent approval for Tesla’s FSD technology are inaccurate. The remarks clash with the upbeat view Mr Musk has repeated since November and again this month.
The gap matters. China is Tesla’s most important market outside America and the world’s most competitive arena for advanced driver-assistance. Local rivals push rapid over-the-air upgrades and high-spec ADAS as standard. Formal approval of FSD would give Tesla a high-margin software product in a market where price competition on hardware is intense.
Tesla had pencilled in FSD deployment in China by the first quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory sign‑off. Progress has lagged. Key obstacles include geographic data collection and strict data‑security rules. Under China’s Surveying and Mapping Law, Tesla must rely on authorised Chinese firms for mapping. Musk has floated direct access to non‑sensitive video data from China to train FSD.
Regulators, though, are in no rush. The government source offered no detail on the status or timing of the FSD review. That leaves Tesla selling a more limited Autopilot package in China while it waits for clearance of features already available in America.
In China, Tesla vehicles still come with basic Autopilot features included as standard equipment. Chinese customers have a different upgrade structure:
Basic Autopilot (BAP): Included free with all vehicles, providing lane centering, acceleration, deceleration, stopping and starting
Enhanced Autopilot (EAP): Available for ¥32,000 (~$4,400 USD) one-time purchase or ¥699/month (~$98.50 USD) subscription, adding automatic lane changing, Autopark, and Smart Summon
Full Self-Driving (FSD): Available for ¥64,000 (~$8,820 USD) one-time purchase with additional advanced features.
https://evne.ws/4t17X9I
CHINA’S VALUE EVS LAND IN MALAYSIA
SAIC-GM-Wuling has started mass production of its Wuling BingoEV at Tan Chong’s plant in Malaysia, with the first car rolling out on January 20th. It is the firm’s first model to be assembled locally and a concrete step in its “Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand” integration push.
The move matters for two reasons. It shows a Chinese value brand willing to commit money and technology to Malaysia, not just ship in cars. And it shows how Chinese makers now design electric models and supply chains for several emerging markets from the start, rather than retrofitting China-market products later.
SGMW is pairing its global electric-vehicle know-how with Tan Chong’s manufacturing base to meet international quality standards while tuning cars to local tastes. The firms have built a local supply chain for vehicles and core components, which they say lifts delivery efficiency and sharpens prices for buyers.
Malaysia’s electric-vehicle market is growing fast: pure electric sales rose by over 200% year on year, and about 25% of consumers now say they are considering an electric purchase. A locally made Bingo adds another entry-level option and fits neatly with the government’s green-mobility agenda, while giving a Chinese brand a firmer foothold just as regional competition starts to bite.
https://autonews.gasgoo.com/articles/news/first-mass-produced-wuling-bingoev-rolls-off-the-line-in-malaysia-2014333813193019393
VOLVO’S EX60 SKIPS CHINA, FOR NOW
Volvo will start selling its new EX60 electric SUV in Europe this year. Chinese buyers will have to wait. The firm has set no timetable for production or sales in China, even as it targets the luxury family segment, now the largest slice of the electrified market.
The EX60 matters for China because it shows how Volvo plans to compete in a field that Chinese brands already dominate on price, range and software. Built on the SPA3 platform and made in Sweden, the mid-size SUV aims to mix long range, high computing power and low lifecycle emissions. Volvo says it has the lowest carbon footprint of any of its EVs, on a par with the smaller EX30.
The car comes in three powertrains across seven variants: P6 rear-wheel drive, plus P10 and P12 all-wheel drive. Under CLTC conditions Volvo claims up to 810 kilometres for the P12, 660 kilometres for the P10 and 620 kilometres for the P6. On a 400kW ultra-fast charger, the P12 can add 340 kilometres in 10 minutes. A drag coefficient of 0.26cd helps at higher speeds.
Under the skin sit Volvo’s HuginCore central computing system, cell-to-chassis design, proprietary motors and gigacasting, all meant to lift structural efficiency and energy management. Safety hardware includes a boron-steel reinforced cage body and adaptive front seatbelts, tied into a central platform that links perception and restraint systems. Over-the-air updates will keep adding features.
Cabin tech leans on Google’s Gemini AI assistant for natural voice control, an Android Automotive OS backed by Qualcomm and Nvidia chips, and a 28-speaker Bowers & Wilkins system with headrest speakers for every seat and Dolby Atmos-enabled Apple Music.
Pre-orders have begun in Europe, with American orders due in late spring 2026 and first P6 and P10 deliveries slated for summer 2026.
https://autonews.gasgoo.com/articles/news/volvo-ex60-makes-global-debut-china-launch-timeline-undetermined-2014338021094957057
CATL PUTS SODIUM BATTERIES TO WORK
China’s biggest battery maker has put sodium on the road. On January 22nd 2026 CATL launched its Tianxing II battery series for light commercial vehicles, including what it calls the first mass-produced sodium-ion pack: a 45 kWh unit with an energy density of 175Wh/kg and a cycle life of more than 10,000 cycles.
The move matters less for novelty than for cost and supply. Sodium is far more abundant and cheaper to extract than lithium. If it works at scale in small and micro vans and light trucks, it could trim pack costs and improve the economics of China’s workhorse electric fleets, from urban delivery to municipal services.
CATL has built the sodium pack to comply with the new GB 38031-2025 national standard and to tackle a known pain point: winter range and charging. The battery keeps 90% of its capacity at -40°C (also -40F, it’s the point where the different scales align) and can charge at once even when frozen at -30°C. That combination targets northern Chinese cities where light commercial EVs suffer the sharpest seasonal performance swings.
The Tianxing II line does not rely on sodium alone. It adds three lithium-ion variants that push different limits. A fast-charging version takes a 100 kWh vehicle from 20% to 80% in 18 minutes, adding about 150 km of range. A long-range version offers 253 kWh in a single pack and up to 800 km of range for long-distance logistics. A high-temperature fast-charging version, with liquid cooling, aims at hot-climate last-mile delivery where thermal stress and uptime matter more than headline range.
CATL introduced the Tianxing commercial-vehicle brand in July 2024. With Tianxing II, the front line of China’s EV battle shifts from luxury cars to vans and trucks that spend all day on the road.
https://carnewschina.com/2026/01/22/catl-unveils-worlds-first-mass-production-sodium-ion-battery-for-commercial-vehicles/
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