Nio has delivered its 30,000th ES9, a milestone reached in just 119 days, according to the company. The achievement sets a new delivery record for China's premium battery-electric (BEV) segment priced around 500,000 yuan (about $70,400), the company said. In August, the ES9 captured a 24% share of the 500,000-yuan passenger car market in the Yangtze River Delta region, meaning roughly one in four vehicles sold in that price bracket was an ES9.
Dongfeng and Huawei deepen ties
Dongfeng Motor's general manager Feng Changjun met with Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei and senior executives in Shenzhen on September 22, according to a statement on Dongfeng's official WeChat account. The two sides discussed deepening strategic cooperation and collaborative innovation in products and technology. The meeting signals continued alignment between a major state-owned automaker and Huawei's growing automotive technology ecosystem.
Chery announced executive changes on September 23, appointing Zhang Guozhong as executive vice president of Chery Holding Group and Zhang Guibing as executive vice president of Chery Automobile. The reshuffle is part of Chery's push to advance its "Globalization 3.0" strategy, the company said.
BYD Thailand plant reaches 100,000 NEVs
BYD's factory in Thailand has produced its 100,000th new energy vehicle (NEV), with the milestone vehicle being a BYD ATTO 3, the model that introduced the brand to the Thai market. The plant's output underscores BYD's shift from exporting to local production in Southeast Asia.
Volkswagen Anhui said it has resumed full production of its ID. UNYX (与众07) model, with large batches of vehicles arriving at dealerships. The company attributed earlier delivery delays to chip supply chain fluctuations and said new cars will reach stores nationwide by the end of September.
BMW CEO Milan Nedeljković told a media interview that some Chinese cars are priced in Europe at levels that are "difficult to understand from a business logic perspective," warning this could fuel protectionism. He reiterated BMW's opposition to EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, which have been in place since October 2024. BMW's electric MINI, produced in China for export, faces a combined tariff of about 31%, and the company is negotiating with the EU for an exemption.
In supply chain news, Linglong Tire plans to build a tire plant in Egypt with a total investment of $270 million (about 1.84 billion yuan), producing 6 million semi-steel radial tires annually. CATL and Wuling jointly launched a new battery for urban logistics vehicles, featuring a temperature control system and a claimed 10,000 charge cycles at 25°C. The battery will debut in the Wuling Yangguang L.
China's National Energy Administration reported that the country's total EV charging infrastructure reached 24.2 million charging guns by the end of August 2026, up 39.6% year-on-year. Public charging guns grew 19.5% to 5.16 million, while private units rose 46.3% to 19.06 million. According to the China Passenger Car Association, NEV retail penetration in China reached 67.9% in the first 20 days of September.
