CHINA: BMW iX1, BYD Yangwang 1000km Range and China Denies Tesla FSD | 26 Jan 2026
EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs
EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVsJan 28, 2026
CHINA: BMW iX1, BYD Yangwang 1000km Range and China Denies Tesla FSD | 26 Jan 2026
Annotations will appear as you listen
0:00
15:57
Car
BMW iX1
The BMW iX1 is a small electric SUV made by BMW. It's designed to be eco-friendly and has the latest technology, making it a popular choice for those looking for an electric vehicle.
Car
BYD Yang Wang
The BYD Yang Wang is a luxury electric car from a Chinese company called BYD. It's known for being able to travel a long distance on a single charge, making it a strong competitor in the electric vehicle market.
Sodium ion batteries are batteries that use sodium instead of lithium. They are cheaper and more abundant, making them a promising option for electric cars in the future.
The Audi Q4 e-tron is an electric SUV from Audi, which means it runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It's designed to be stylish and comfortable while being environmentally friendly.
The Mercedes-Benz EQ-A is an electric SUV from Mercedes-Benz, which means it uses electricity to power the car instead of traditional fuel. It's designed to be luxurious and efficient.
Parking sensors are little devices in your car that help you know if you're too close to something when you're parking, making it easier to avoid bumps.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that can run on electricity and gasoline. You can charge it by plugging it in, and it can drive a certain distance using just electricity before needing to use gas.
The BYD Tang 9 is a large SUV made by the Chinese company BYD. It's meant to be a luxury vehicle, offering more space and comfort compared to smaller cars.
ADAS means systems in cars that help drivers stay safe and make driving easier. They can do things like help you stay in your lane or slow down if something is in front of you.
The FSD package is a subscription service from Tesla that gives you access to advanced driving features. You can pay monthly or yearly to use these features in your Tesla car.
Autopilot is a feature in some cars that helps with driving. It can steer, speed up, and slow down the car, but the driver still needs to pay attention and be ready to take control.
The Dodge Charger is a big car that looks sporty and can go really fast. It's popular because it has a strong engine and can handle different weather conditions, especially with its all-wheel drive feature.
The Renault ZOE is a small car that runs on electricity instead of gas, which makes it good for the environment. It's great for driving around town, but when it gets really cold, it might not go as far on a single charge.
LIVE
I didn't realize I was wasting $415 a month until I downloaded RocketMoney.
I thought I had my finances under control until the app laid out all my spending and categorized it for me.
Takeout, shopping, and unused subscriptions were quietly draining my account.
And as a result, my savings took a backseat.
But RocketMoney doesn't just tell you what you're wasting money on.
It takes action to save you money.
First, the app looks at your income and monthly expenses,
and calculates how much you can safely spend each day to stay under budget.
RocketMoney also finds and cancels unwanted subscriptions for you
and even negotiates better rates on your bills, so you have more money in your pocket.
On average, RocketMoney members can save up to $740 a year when using all the app's premium features.
Users love the app with over 186,000 five-star ratings.
It's time to simplify your finances and take control of your money.
Go to rocketmoney.com slash cancel to get started.
That's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
RocketMoney.com slash cancel.
If you're an HVAC technician and a call comes in, Granger knows that you need a partner that
helps you find the right product, fast and hassle-free.
And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor,
there's no need to break a sweat.
With Granger's easy-to-use website and product details,
you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along.
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com or just stop by.
Granger, for the ones who get it done.
I didn't realize I was wasting $415 a month until I downloaded RocketMoney.
I thought I had my finances under control until the app laid out all my spending
and categorized it for me.
Takeout, shopping, and unused subscriptions were quietly draining my account.
And as a result, my savings took a backseat.
But RocketMoney doesn't just tell you what you're wasting money on.
It takes action to save you money.
First, the app looks at your income and monthly expenses
and calculates how much you can safely spend each day to stay under budget.
RocketMoney also finds and cancels unwanted subscriptions for you
and even negotiates better rates on your bills
so you have more money in your pocket.
On average, RocketMoney members can save up to $740 a year
when using all the app's premium features.
Users love the app with over 186,000 five-star ratings.
It's time to simplify your finances and take control of your money.
Go to RocketMoney.com slash cancel to get started.
That's RocketMoney.com slash cancel.
RocketMoney.com slash cancel.
If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant,
you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference.
That's why hands down you count on Granger for auto-reordering.
With on-time restocks, your team will have the cut-resistant gloves
they need at the start of their shift.
And you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand.
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com or just stop by.
Granger for the ones who get it done.
Welcome back to EV News China.
Today, the BMW iX1, BYD's Yang Wang that goes 1,000 kilometers,
and China denies Tesla FSD.
Plus, stay tuned.
Later in the show, I'll tell you why CATL
is already putting sodium ion batteries to the tests.
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.
The 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,
the all-electric compact SUV comes in four trims
and starts at 228,000 RMB.
The car targets buyers weighing up the Audi Q4 e-tron
or the Mercedes-Benz EQ-A,
as foreign brands try to hold ground
against the fast-moving local EV makers.
BMW keeps its familiar look,
a large closed-off kidney grille
with diamond pattern accents
and some chrome trim as well,
smooth sides, semi-retractable door handles
and L-shaped tail lights.
The compact SUV is 4.6 metres long
with a 2.8-metre long wheelbase.
Now inside, the iX1 gets a big tech boost,
dual-screen layout, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
and a 10.7-inch central display,
both running BMW iDrive 9.
Standard kit now includes 5G,
some driver assist tools like parking sensors,
reversing camera and lane keep,
but they'll need to do a lot more
to appeal to the high-tech buyers,
maybe the younger buyers that are going
for Chinese domestic brands
because they're coming with a lot more
than reversing cameras and lane keep.
So the iDrive 25L uses a front-mounted single motor,
it's 150 kilowatts
and does 510 kilometres on CLTC range at least.
The iXDrive 30L adds a second motor,
all-wheel drive, that's the iXDrive thing,
it's 230 kilowatts and CLTC of 450,
so taking a bit of a range hit on that.
Both have a 66.5 kilowatt-hour battery
and BMW dealerships in China,
even though the car has already only been on sale
a short time, offering significant discounts
of maybe up to US$8,000 equivalent
to try and get people interested in this.
BMW will have thought long and hard
about how to market the car,
but I'm not sure that the specs are quite there
to tempt people away from domestic brands.
We'll wait and see.
BYD got a few stories going on today.
Right, first of all, let me kick off with this one.
As previously reported last year,
BYD sold about 4.6 million EVs,
plug-ins and full-bevs,
up almost 8% year-on-year.
And for the first time beat Tesla in pure-bev sales,
about 2.25 million bevs.
For BYD, 1.6 million bevs for Tesla.
The shift matters because BYD now leans harder
on foreign markets.
The firm exported over a million EVs last year,
a year-on-year jump of 150%.
Management setting a formal target
of 1.3 million this year.
City groups say executives talk privately
of over 1.5 million units next year.
Passenger cars and pickups are the core.
One model stands out, the Shark,
because you can't buy it at home in China.
They sell the Shark in Mexico and Brazil.
It's gone down really well in Australia.
It's the only BYD vehicle sold overseas
that they don't sell at home.
Showing how the firm is now thinking
about how it designs and times,
launches and markets vehicles
outside Chinese borders.
For now, the company expands globally
with its overseas sales split roughly two-thirds
to Europe and North America,
then a third back in Asia.
The growth has been brisk.
BYD's EV sales climbed from 190,000
six years ago during lockdown in 2020
to 4.6 million now.
Let's stay with BYD, the Chinese luxury saloon.
BYD Yang Wang U7 now claims a four-digit range.
Obviously, it's China.
We're talking kilometres here,
but it's still very impressive, by the way.
BYD's Yang Wang U7 has been updated for 2026
with a 150 kilowatt hour LFP pack
and a quoted range of over 1,000.
It's 1,006, to be exact, kilometres on CLTC.
Okay, that's 625 miles on the China cycle.
Homologation data from the Ministry of Industry
and Information Technology
put the energy use at 17.7 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers.
If you think about efficiency, how I do,
just I ended up getting used to this,
it's 3.52 miles per kilowatt hour.
That's not Tesla efficiency, but it's good
and obviously has a very big battery.
The previous U7 had 135 kilowatt hour pack
and would do 720 kilometers.
BYD added 15 kilowatt hours, 100 kilograms,
and yet 286 kilometers of range
by making it more efficient
in a segment where larger batteries
can just bring, you know, blunt gains.
It's a hammer.
It's just a big battery.
The U7's actually getting better in terms of engineering.
Standard four-motor trim of the updated U7
is what delivers that 1,000 kilometers.
A more potent variant lifts output
from 960 kilowatts to 1,000 kilowatts.
That's 1,341 horsepower, but the range takes a hit.
Both have supercar pace, 0-62 in 2.9 seconds.
Rear wheel steering, hydraulic suspension,
electronic vertical body control.
Launched last March, they've sold so far almost 2,000 units.
Gotta remember, this is a $90,000 vehicle in China.
It's about 630,000 yuan.
It's a big one as well.
5.26 meters long, 2 meters wide,
and a 3.16-meter wheelbase.
It's a big executive car, very premium.
Alongside it also sits a plug-in hybrid version
with a 52 kilowatt-hour battery pack.
And finally, our last BYD story today.
BYD has begun road tests of its Tang 9.
It's D-segment SUV, launching in the first half of the year.
Sitting at the top of the Tang line,
pushing the brand further into its luxury segment.
Based on the Dynasty D full-size SUV concept,
the Tang 9 will be over 5 meters long, over 2 meters wide,
in both PureBev and plug-in hybrid versions.
So there's other big vehicles like this in SUV shape,
like the Ito M9, Zika 9X.
And targeting buyers, maybe 30,000 to 40,000 US dollars equivalent.
Spy shots show lidar on the roof.
The side profile with hidden door handles.
Might as well rethink about those for next year.
And multi-spoke wheels.
Plenty of chrome on this 2 plus 2 plus 2 layout for six seats.
Branding, though, is up for grabs.
BYD is opening a public voting on the final name.
Either Tang 9 or Great Tang are some of the options.
That would be a cool name for an SUV,
or part of their Dynasty series,
which has sold 1.885 million units across its various models.
The Tang 9 would extend BYD's push
at the upper end of China's mass market,
using volume in that 30,000 to 40,000 US dollar equivalent price band
that the foreign brands once treated as their own.
China has swatted down the chief executive of Tesla.
Elon Musk went on record at the World Economic Forum recently
and said that Tesla's full self-driving
could win Chinese approval next month in February.
A Chinese government source was quick to bat that away.
And say no, it won't.
The unnamed official, cited by state media China Daily,
undercut Mr Musk's timeline and said China will not clear FSD
any time in the near future,
stating that recent claims of an imminent approval for FSD
are wholly inaccurate.
The remarks clash with the upbeat view
that Tesla's chief executive often repeats.
The gap matters because China is Tesla's most important market
outside of America.
And the world's most competitive arena for ADAS.
Local rivals are pushing rapid over the air upgrades
and ever higher spec.
Autonomy, formal approval of FSD,
would give Tesla a very high margin product
in a market where price competition on the actual hardware
is intense.
Tesla's penciled in FSD for rolling out in China
in the first quarter of last year, 2025.
Yeah, I'm just checking my calendar.
It says 2026.
Progress is lagged.
Key obstacles include geographic data collection
and strict data security.
Under China's laws, Tesla must rely on only authorized Chinese firms
to provide mapping.
Musk has floated direct access to non-sensitive video data
from China that would help him train FSD.
Regulators, though, are in no rush.
The government source offered no detail on the status
or timing of the review,
which leaves Tesla selling a limited autopilot package
in China.
Unlike in America where they've been off autopilot
and taken away lane centering,
unless you pay $100 a month, $1,200 a year,
to subscribe to it as part of the FSD package,
in China there is still basic autopilot.
That is free with every vehicle sold in China.
Lane centering, acceleration and deceleration,
adaptive cruise stopping and starting.
You can pay for an enhanced autopilot
for around $4,000 equivalent for a one-time purchase
with automatic lane changing, auto parking, smart summon.
And of course there's FSD if you want to,
give them $8,800 equivalent one-time purchase
for features that you can't yet use.
Let's talk about China's value in Malaysia
and Volvo's EX60 next on the podcast.
Today, those same subscriptions cost $111
and I don't even use half of them anymore.
That's why now I use RocketMoney
to manage my subscriptions for me.
The app gives you a list of all your subscriptions
and reminds you of upcoming payments
so you're not hit with any surprise charges.
On top of that, it also sends you alerts
when subscription prices go up,
so you always know the price you're paying.
If you decide you no longer want a subscription,
you can cancel it right from the app.
No customer service needed.
And the best part is, RocketMoney even reaches out
and tries to get you refunded for some of the money you lost.
On average, people that cancel their subscriptions
with RocketMoney save $378 a year.
And overall, RocketMoney has saved its members
$880 million in canceled subscriptions.
Stop wasting money on things you don't use.
Go to rocketmoney.com slash cancel to get started.
That's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
Rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant,
you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference.
That's why hands down, you count on Granger for auto-reordering.
With on-time restocks,
your team will have the cut-resistant gloves
they need at the start of their shift.
And you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand.
Call 1-800-GRANGER. Click Granger.com or just stop by.
Granger for the ones who get it done.
The holidays are expensive.
You're paying for gifts, travel, decorations, food.
And before you know it,
you've blown way past what you were planning to spend.
Don't start the new year off with bad money vibes.
Download RocketMoney to stay on top of your finances.
The app pulls your income, expenses,
and upcoming charges into one place
so you can get the clearest picture of your money.
It shows how much to set aside for bills
and how much is safe to spend for the month
so you can spend with confidence.
No guesswork needed.
Get alerts before bills hit, track budgets,
and see every subscription you're paying for.
RocketMoney also finds extra ways to save you money
by canceling subscriptions you're not using
and negotiating lower bills for you.
On average, RocketMoney users can save up to $740 a year
when using all the app's premium features.
Start the year off right by taking control of your finances.
Go to rocketmoney.com slash cancel to get started.
That's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
Rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant,
you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference.
That's why hands-down you count on Granger for auto-reordering.
With on-time restocks,
your team will have the cut-resistant gloves
they need at the start of their shift.
And you can end your day knowing they've got safety
well in hand.
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com, or just stop by.
Granger for the ones who get it done.
All right, welcome back to the show.
SAIC GM Wuling, the joint venture,
has started production of its Wuling Bingo EV in Malaysia,
the Tang Chong plants,
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 integration push
into Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand.
The move matters for two reasons.
I think 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 emerging markets from the start,
rather than retrofitting products years later.
SGMW is pairing its global EV know-how
with manufacturing locally
to meet international quality standards
and tuning the cars for local tastes as well
with the local supply chain for vehicles
and core components.
Malaysia's EV market is growing fast, actually.
Don't talk about it much,
but pure electric sales rose over 200% year on year.
And 25% of consumers now say
that they would consider all electric
as their next purchase.
Volvo, a next in the news,
they will start selling their new EX60,
the SUV in Europe this year.
Chinese buyers will have to wait.
The firm has no timetable
for production or sales in China,
even as it targets the luxury family segment,
the EX60 matters in China,
because it shows Volvo planning to compete
in a field that Chinese brands
are dominating on price range and software.
It's built on Volvo's new own platform,
SPA3.
It's made in Sweden.
The mid-size SUV will mix very long range,
503 miles WLTP,
very high computing power.
And Volvo says it's the lowest carbon footprint
of any EV it's ever made.
The car comes in three powertrains,
P6's rear-wheel drive, P10 and P12 all-wheel drive.
Under CLTC, that would be 810 kilometers
for the rear-wheel drive version.
On a 400 kilowatt DC fast charger,
it would add 340 kilometers in just 10 minutes.
Under the skin is their new central computing system,
really impressive cell to chassis design,
which many Chinese are nailing now,
and which many European legacy car makers
can't get their head around cell to chassis.
Obviously, they're trying extremely hard with their suppliers.
There's proprietary motors and giga-casting,
all lifting the structural efficiency
and energy mesh and management.
Safety hardware is very important
with a reinforced cage body
and adaptive front seat belts
to actually pay attention to who
and what kind of body type is sitting in a chair,
tied to a central platform.
Over-the-air updates,
of course, will be part of the improvement.
Cabin tech leans on Google's Gemini AI
for natural voice control
and Android automotive as the operating system
with next-generation Qualcomm and Nvidia chips.
Pre-orders have begun in Europe already,
with American orders due in late spring,
but China, TBC.
And finally, China's biggest battery maker
has put Sodium on the road.
On January 22nd,
CATL launched its Tiangxing 2 battery
for light commercial vehicles,
including what it calls the first mass-produced Sodium iron pack.
It's a 45 kilowatt-hour unit
with an energy density of just 175 watt-hours per kilogram.
They say 10,000 cycles in its life.
The move matters less for novelty,
but more about what it means for cost and supply.
Sodium, way more abundant and cheaper to extract
than lithium if it works at scale
in small and micro vans and light trucks to begin with.
It could trim battery costs
and improve the economics of workhorse fleets.
CATL has built the Sodium pack
to comply with the new national standards,
technically GB38031-2025,
in case you're wondering,
to tackle a known pain point.
Winter range and winter charging.
Remember when I first got my very first EV,
it was Renault Zoe,
and then we got a cold spell months later.
And boy did the range drop.
That was my first experience.
Doesn't seem to affect more modern EVs
as battery technologies change,
but they say the Sodium iron packs
can keep 90% of their capacity
at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
That is, coincidentally, minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
That is the point where the different scales align.
Minus 40.
Fun fact.
And can charge at once,
even if you freeze the pack,
at minus 30 degrees Celsius.
Now that combination targets
northern Chinese cities
where commercial EVs suffer
seasonal performance swings.
The Tang Xing 2 line
does not rely on Sodium alone.
It adds three lithium-ion variants,
a fast charging version
that's 100 kilowatt hours
and a long range version
that's 253 kilowatt hours
in their commercial vehicles.
Now the Sodium-ion battery as well.
This is really the front line
of China's EV battle,
which is shifted from luxury cars
to vans and commercial vehicles
and bringing the cost down.
And that's your podcast for today.
Thanks for listening.
See you on the next one.
The number one resolution
for people last year
was to save more money.
But nearly half gave up by February.
Don't let that be you.
Download RocketMoney
to reach your financial goals this year.
Track your spending, cut waste,
and automate savings
in one simple app.
RocketMoney shows you
all your expenses
and categorizes them
so you know exactly
where your money is going
and where you're overspending.
From there, the app cuts waste
by canceling your unused subscriptions
and lowering your bills.
No customer service needed.
With that money freed up,
the app will automatically
set some cash aside for your goals.
Whether it's an emergency fund,
paying off debt,
or saving for vacation,
RocketMoney's got you covered.
Users love the app
with over 186,000 five-star ratings.
And on average,
users can save up to $740 a year
when using all the app's premium features.
Make saving money a priority this year.
Go to rocketmoney.com slash cancel
to get started.
That's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
Rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
If you're the purchasing manager
at a manufacturing plant,
you know having a trusted partner
makes all the difference.
That's why hands down,
you count on Grainger
for auto-reordering.
With on-time restocks,
your team will have the cut-resistant gloves
they need at the start of their shift.
And you can end your day
knowing they've got safety
well in hand.
Call 1-800-GRAINGER,
click Grainger.com,
or just stop by.
Grainger for the ones
who get it done.
If you're the purchasing manager
at a manufacturing plant,
you know having a trusted partner
makes all the difference.
That's why hands down,
you count on Grainger
for auto-reordering.
With on-time restocks,
your team will have the cut-resistant gloves
they need at the start of their shift.
And you can end your day knowing
they've got safety
well in hand.
Call 1-800-GRAINGER,
click Grainger.com,
or just stop by.
Grainger for the ones
who get it done.
Calling all sightseers
and selfie takers,
welcome to Texas
where a day at our hiking trails
will lead to a lifetime of memories.
And family road trips
become family legends.
Where thrill seekers
make a splash into spring-fed pools
and picky eaters
will clean their plates.
This is your invitation
to visit Texas
and see it for yourself.
Visit TravelTexas.com
and plan your family's trip today.
Let's Texas!
Ring Central's AI receptionist
uses voice AI
to answer on the first ring,
so you'll never miss a call again.
In just a few minutes,
you can personalize
your own AI receptionist
to answer questions,
route calls,
schedule appointments,
and even send texts
in multiple languages.
Plus, it's easy to scale.
Create unlimited
AI receptionists
across any phone system.
It's all powered
by one reliable platform
for effortless AI communications.
See for yourself at ringcentral.com.
Ring Central, voice of your business.
About this episode
The latest episode dives into the competitive landscape of China's EV market, featuring the launch of the BMW iX1 and BYD's impressive Yang Wang U7, which boasts a 1,000 km range. The discussion highlights BMW's challenges in appealing to tech-savvy buyers against local brands and BYD's significant growth in both domestic and international sales. Additionally, the episode covers Tesla's struggles with FSD approval in China and CATL's new sodium-ion battery technology aimed at improving performance in cold climates. Insights into Volvo's upcoming EX60 SUV and the expansion of Chinese brands into Southeast Asia are also explored.
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.
Can you help me make more podcasts? Consider supporting me on Patreon as the service is 100% funded by you: https://EVne.ws/patreon
