CHINA: BYD Recall, China EV Boom and FAW Invests In Leapmotor

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Hear that?

That's me with a lemonade in a rocker on my front porch.

How did I get here?

I invested to make my dream home, home.

Get where you're going with MDY, the original mid-cap ETF from State Street Investment

Management.

Getting there starts here.

Before investing, consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses.

Visit statestreet.com slash im for a prospectus containing this and other information.

Read it carefully.

MDY is subject to risk similar to those of stocks.

All ETFs are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal, Alps distributor, Zinc

distributor.

Welcome back to the podcast.

Today, BYD forced into a recall, China's EV Boom and FAW invests in Leap Motor.

Plus stay tuned.

Later in the show, I'll tell you which EV Chinese drivers say they're most

satisfied with.

Welcome to EV News China, the daily podcast dedicated to the world's largest electric

vehicle markets.

Every weekday, I bring you the 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.

China has ordered BYD to recall 89,000 Chin plus DMI plug-in hybrids over battery defects

that cut range and risk power loss.

On November 28th, China's State Administration for Market Regulation, the SAMR, instructed

BYD to recall 88,981 Chin plus DMI vehicles.

These cars were made between 2021 and 23 for the domestic market.

Regulators say the problem is a battery pack consistency defect.

Their investigation found non-uniform charging and discharging behavior among battery

cells, which can cause certain cells to reach depletion earlier than expected, leading

to a sudden loss of power while moving.

In practice, what this means is that your pure electric range is a lot less than you've

been promised, and if you're relying on that, the electric drive would cut out unexpectedly

early.

One owner of a 2023 vehicle said the car, which should do 55km or 34 miles pure electric,

could barely do 20km or 12 miles.

This recall hits BYD's core product.

As of October this year, BYD had delivered 305,000 of these Chin plus vehicles year-to-date,

making it the company's best-selling model and the top A-segment plug-in hybrid.

BYD says it will conduct remote software diagnostics on affected vehicles and replace

the battery packs if necessary.

The move comes as China tightens safety around batteries, and in fact just the rules

around battery.

Since October this year, automakers now report any battery-related fire within 24 hours and

keep records of software and battery parameter changes.

A new national standard comes in next July in 2026.

It sets strict requirements for non-ignition, impact resistance, and post-fast-charge

short-circuit tests after doing 300 fast-charge cycles.

Now, China's EV market has set yet another record.

According to the China Passenger Car Association, or CPCA, passenger new energy vehicle wholesale

sales in November were 1.72 million units.

The CPCA says that marks a 20% year-on-year increase and a 7% increase from the previous

month October.

The CPCA reports that with China's NEV Purchase Tax Exemption Policy expiring

at the end of the year, the car market entered a year-end buying frenzy.

That tax break has pulled demand forward as buyers rushed to lock in incentives before

they disappear.

From January to November, China's EV wholesale sales were going to be projected to be 13.78

million for the first 11 months of the year.

That represents a 29% increase on the first 11 months of last year, underscoring how

quickly the market is exploding.

While Chinese manufacturers hit record highs for November, Geely, Cherry, LeapMotor, Ceres,

Dongfeng and ArkFox at the same time, the scale of almost 14 million EVs in 11 months

reaffirms China as the main driver of global EVs.

Intense competition, though, and record output from domestic brands are keeping pressure

on prices to be low, influencing global supply chains and shaping tech leadership.

Now, China's state-owned auto giant FAW is buying a 5% equity stake in the fast-growing

EV maker LeapMotor in a move that could reshape EV alliances in China.

FAW is already working with LeapMotor on technology.

The two companies had a strategic partnership earlier this year in March, and their first

joint project started in April for the HongQi brand from FAW.

That HongQi LeapMotor model will come to international markets in the second half

of 2026.

Stellantis is currently LeapMotor's largest single-shareholder, with about 21% of the company.

FAW potentially buying 5% adds a strategic investor, though.

And it's happening at LeapMotor as they post strong growth.

In the third quarter of 2025, LeapMotor reported revenue of almost 20 billion yuan, that's

2.7 billion US dollars equivalent, up 97% year-on-year and 37% quarter-on-quarter.

For FAW, the move fits their strategy, which is called All-in-EV, but it highlights how far

it has to go.

New energy vehicles are 10% of FAW's business, a stake in LeapMotor would give them faster

access to competitive EV platforms and software, and for LeapMotor, bringing in a big state-owned

auto giant alongside Stellantis strengthens their backing from a state-owned partner.

Now, Ford's chief executive is commuting these days in Chinese cars and says one of them feels

like an Apple product.

Jim Farley has revealed he personally uses Chinese EVs, like the Xiaomi Su7 or Su7, to study

how far rivals have advanced their software.

His comments come in a recent interview with the Argentine newspaper La Nación.

Farley said, and I quote, I was very impressed with Xiaomi.

It's no wonder they're so successful, they're the Apple of China.

You get into the car with your phone and you don't need to pair it because it automatically

identifies you.

It has facial recognition, an AI assistant in the vehicle.

It can go 0-60 in three seconds at the touch of a button and it feels like a Porsche

Taycan.

End quote.

He described the Su7.

He tested as having a digital experience compatible with things like Apple, comparable

with Apple.

The car can do 0-100 km per hour, quicker than most things as well.

After visiting China last year, Farley selected five of what he called China's best electric

vehicles, had them flown to Chicago and driven to Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.

There, his management team uses them as daily drivers.

Farley also said that after hiring Doug Field, Ford's chief EV, digital and design officer,

the company realized it was 25 years behind competitors in key tech areas.

Ford is now using these Chinese EVs to guide their product plans, software and user experience

roadmap as it tries to close the tech gap in the global EV race, with the Apple of China

now parked outside his headquarters.

Ceres has launched a third generation Landian E5 Plus.

What is that?

It's a mid-size SUV in China.

It's a plug-in hybrid.

It's an annual facelift for the vehicle.

Two configurations.

They're both the same price.

It's $120,000.

You want about $16,800 dollars equivalent.

The main change is range.

This annual facelift focuses on configuration upgrades.

Pure electric range is 230 kilometers in this plug-in hybrid now.

That extended EV range targets city drivers that'll run on EV power nearly all the time,

but have a combustion engine as a backup for long trips.

Power comes from their super-electric hybrid system, 1.5-liter engine at 70 kilowatts of

power and an electric motor at 160 kilowatts.

The new model also introduces intelligent electric hybrid all-time four-wheel drive and adaptive

suspension as well in a 16 grand vehicle.

Inside more intelligence with a big 15.6-inch central touchscreen and an AI cockpit.

Examples of the third-generation Landian E5 begin immediately in China for both trims.

BYD is launching a smaller pickup and targeting South America.

The next pickup from BYD has been surfaced on the internet doing a test launching in

South America next year.

The new model does not yet have an official name, but it will sit below the existing

pickup which is called the Shark from BYD.

It's smaller.

It's more value-oriented.

The truck forms part of BYD's push to expand their electrified pickup line.

The test vehicle shows a double cab with four doors, smaller cargo bed, unibody construction

that differs from traditional body on-frame.

It also uses a double wishbone rear suspension which signals a focus on comfort and on-road

driving.

Not hardcore off-road stuff.

BYD hasn't confirmed the powertrain.

The new pickup is expected to be a plug-in hybrid though.

To reference, the larger BYD Shark has dual electric motors, 1.5-litre engine, 430 horsepower,

0-62 in 5.7 seconds, and South America will be the launch market next year, and the truck

could later be exported to other emerging pickup markets as well.

Hey, what do you know about ROX motor?

R-O-X?

Well, Polestones, otherwise known as ROX motor, is an automotive brand backed by a robot

vacuum cleaner maker called Roborock.

Now when I saw this a little while ago, a few months, a few years ago, you kind of go, okay,

let's see what they make.

A vacuum cleaner company is going to make EVs, I've seen others do it, Xiaomi, Huawei,

vacuum cleaners, okay.

It turns out what they made is actually really interesting.

Now it's not a massive seller.

That's 20,000th vehicle just rolled off the production line.

But that's a milestone for a vacuum cleaner company in China.

So they've been increasing production capacity by 150% recently.

Since March, they have sold over 1,000 units a month.

Not massive volume, but nothing to sniff at either.

Polestones, Battleground is not domestic Chinese buyers though.

They began global deliveries in January of last year, as of now, the Middle East

region, so UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Q8 contributes to 70% of their sales.

And it's a premium price in the Middle East as well.

Saudi Arabian version sells for about $78,000 US dollars equivalent.

That's double its domestic counterpart.

So if you are not going to buy a Land Rover Defender, but want a vehicle which looks

a lot like a Land Rover Defender, you might get the ROX motor.

We'll take a break.

We'll come back.

Stay on the wire on the podcast and more stick around.

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 rocket money 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.

Rocket Money also finds extra ways to save you money by cancelling subscriptions you're

not using and negotiating lower bills for you.

On average, Rocket Money users can save up to $740 a year when using all of 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.

League One Volleyball is back.

The world's best players together on American soil.

This is volleyball like you've never seen before.

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A sport where every play is a highlight.

League One Volleyball returns January 7th, 2026 with teams in Atlanta, Austin, Houston,

Madison, Nebraska, and Salt Lake.

To buy tickets, visit lovb.com slash iHeart.

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The rivalry that shaped football.

The players who defined an era.

For the first time ever in LA, the icons of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid

take the pitch at BMO Stadium.

Watch the Legends series.

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For tickets and exclusives, go to wearehouseofheroes.com.

Welcome back to the podcast.

A couple more stories to do.

China has taken a decisive step forward

in fully electronic steering in cars and EVs.

Regulators have now issued a new national standard

for vehicle steering systems that removes the long-standing requirement

for a mechanical linkage from the steering wheel to the wheels.

The new rules explicitly allow full steer by wire,

where steering is handled by electronic signals and actuators.

This standard comes into force on July 1st, 2026,

and will apply across China's EV market.

The document does more than permit steer by wire.

It sets out detailed safety and functional requirements.

That includes clarified test procedures for steering failures.

Methods to measure steering effort when faults occur.

And processes to validate functional safety.

It also requires documentation reviews

and random verification testing to ensure it's all working as planned.

A wide group of companies helped draft the standard.

Neo, BAIC, Xpong, BYD, Geely, Xiaomi, Huawei and more.

International and joint venture contributors included

Toyota and Mercedes-Benz China.

Today, steer by wire is still pretty niche.

The Infiniti Q50 has one.

There's the IM-L6, Neo-189, Tesla Cybertruck famously.

The Neo-189 is notable as the first mass produced model in China

using full steer by wire with no mechanical backup system.

By removing mechanical linkage,

China is giving automakers the certainty

to industrialize steer by wire at scale

and building it into the regulations.

And finally, the Rolling Stones couldn't get any satisfaction,

but Chinese drivers of EVs do.

Xiaomi's Su7 has tied for first place

in China's new energy vehicle User Satisfaction Survey.

For the second year in the row as well.

On December 3rd earlier today,

the China Quality Association released their NEV Satisfaction Index

in Beijing. The survey covered 162 high-volume models

from 55 brands and 40 automakers.

Research collected 25,000 responses from owners in 128 cities.

Overall, user satisfaction for EVs reached 80 out of 100.

That's up from last year.

Both Pure Electric and E-Revs scored 80 points.

Satisfaction with quality and reliability came in at 80.1 points.

While satisfaction on performance and design came in at 81 points.

The results suggest domestic EV brands now match anything

that was a joint venture brand on things like satisfaction,

but also face pressure to improve where they score lower.

Things like intelligent cabins and ADAS reliability

ahead of the next cycle of surveys.

And that's your podcast for today.

Thanks for listening. I'll catch you on the next one.

Five years ago, I was paying $65 a month for my subscriptions.

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 of 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.

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League One Volleyball is coming to Minnesota in 2027.

The world's best players together on American soil.

This is volleyball like you've never seen before.

Huge swings, massive blocks, jaw-dropping digs.

A sport where every play is a highlight.

To learn more and get first access,

visit lovbminnesota.com slash iHeart.

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CHINA: BYD Recall, China EV Boom and FAW Invests In Leapmotor

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Neo-189

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