CHINA: NIO Turns A Profit, Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Hood Fixed and MG4X SUV | 13 Mar 2026

Welcome back to EV News, China. Today, NIO turns a profit. Xiaomi's Su7 Ultra Hood is fixed,

and the MG4X SUV. Plus stay tuned, later in the show I'll tell you how Li Auto has eased the

production backlog on their i6 EV. Welcome back to EV News, China, the podcast all about the

world's biggest EV market and every day I bring you headlines, insights and analysis from the

hearts of China's booming EV industry and decode how fast moving developments in the east

shaped the global EV landscape. We'll start with a big bit of news for NIO. NIO posted a

record Q4 result in 2025, and the key number was below the line. It was in the black, the company

reported net profit of 282.7 million RMB, that's 41 million US dollars. Total Q4 revenue was about

34.5 billion RMB, a smidge over 5 billion US dollars, up 76% year on year and up 60% quarter

on quarter. Deliveries rose with it, NIO delivered almost 125,000 vehicles in Q4 alone last year,

up 72% year on year. Of those, about 67.5 thousand from the NIO brand, just over 38,000 from Envo,

the family-oriented sub-brand, and just over 19,000 from Firefly, the compact premium brand.

NIO ended last year with enough in the bank to push it through to more profitability,

ending last year with 46 billion RMB in total liquidity, that's about six and a half billion

US dollars, and that gives it room to keep pushing volume while the newer brands build out,

where they spend money on battery-swapping networks as well, and hopefully more profit

to come. A really big moment from one of the big names in China. Now, Xiaomi has opened appointments

for a free aerodynamic hardware upgrade for owners of the SU-7 Ultra. For those of them that spent

42,000 RMB, that's about 6,000 US dollars, on a carbon-fiber dual-ducted hood, or bonnet.

The upgrade adds the actual aerodynamic veins inside that buyers thought they were getting

in the first place. Xiaomi says the new Aero veins work with the car's active intake grille

to regulate airflow into the front compartment. The system activates in track mode or at speeds

above 93 mph, 150 kph. Xiaomi says it increases total downforce with a rise in energy consumption.

Installation takes two to three hours. Owners report that the new hardware sits in plain view

inside the carbon-fiber hood scoops. The fix follows a legal dispute. Xiaomi marketed their

upgraded bonnet as a performance replica of the prototype Nurburgring car, and they advertise

these dual air ducts for things like wheel cooling and battery cooling. And owners did shell out

almost 6,000 US dollars equivalent for this upgraded Aero. But when the cars arrived, and they, well,

lifted up the bonnet, they found that under the hood, yes it was made of carbon-fiber, but there

was no functional internal airflow channels, it was just blank under there. Independent tear downs

backed them up, which is what they needed to take it to court. And the Suzhou Intermediate

People's Court ruled against Xiaomi last October, and ordered triple damages for false advertising.

Xiaomi now making it right. Let's talk about the MG4X. SAIC has unfailed the first SUV variant of

the MG4 family. MG4 has done good business in China, and also overseas as well. And it shifts

the MG4 from just being a hatchback to a crossover, and pushes the brand into the high-volume SUV

segment. The X in the name signifies what they say is infinite possibilities. All right, okay.

If an X can really stand for anything, that may be the test for older buyers. They say that they

want to attract younger buyers with this. SUV demand is really where the volume sits in many

car markets around the world. Inside, a smart cockpit co-developed with the tech company Oppo

centers on the hand car interconnection to give what they say lag-free integration between your

phone, your smartphone, your Oppo smartphone, and the infotainment screen. We're seeing this with

Huawei and the Huawei cars as well. Absolutely seamless integration. Xiaomi phones as well.

The Xiaomi integration into the Xiaomi cars, where the picture of the phone, or not just a picture,

but your phone's home screen appearing on your car's dashboard. Absolutely lag-free

seamless integration. It's really important in China. The most notable tech change is under

the floor, though, from the base trim upwards. The MG4X uses a semi-solid state battery chemistry,

because I think China is going to start regulating the phrasing liquid solid state battery.

Liquid solid. Okay, fine. MG's first introduced this technology in the MG4 and Shin edition,

the hatchback. The 317 miles of CLTC range, which is going to be a lot less in real world,

uses a manganese-based cell with 5% liquid electrolyte content. MG says the formula improves

thermal stability and cold weather resilience compared to conventional lithium ion, but it's

not like it's a range monster on that at the moment. Now, MG's also releasing the first

official images. These aren't spy shots. These are automaker images released of the MG7,

the MG07, actually, the all-electric fastback, which was teased in late January. The car keeps

the design DNA of its predecessor, of its combustion version. The images also show a

roof-mounted lidarm that marks an upgrade from the sensor suite on the current MG7,

gas guzzler enabling not quite level 3, but certainly a very high level of level 2 urban

navigation. Under the skin, MG07 will debut on SAIC's Nebula platform, also known as the

Xingyun platform. SAIC engineered the platform at 800 volts and either supporting for LFP,

NCM, or semi-solid state battery chemistries. It'll use the latest version of SAIC's battery

pack system called the Rubik's Cube system, or one-pack system. The cells are lying flat,

and that cuts the pack height to just 11 centimeters, about just under four inches,

or so, just over four inches. Either way, it's a very, very low pack height, and so that reduces

the center of gravity. Obviously, you sit lower in the car, more cabin space, and the semi-solid

state cells target an energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram, so lots of room to move.

There is the battery tech improves. Let's talk about Volkswagen in China unveiling the interior

of their ID UNIX 08. Pure electric, mid to large SUV, and the model brings an 800-volt

architecture to the UNIX lineup. The cabin measures on screens and comfort. The cockpit

has a 10.2-inch, 25-inch LCD instrument display, and a 15-inch display dual, sorry,

dual 15-inch linked displays up front. There's no getting away from the massive screens in this.

So, this is in, it's like a giant tablet, two tablets, effectively, crossing the vehicle in

landscape mode. There's obviously the one in the middle above the center console for the driver

to use all the functions, and then one in front of the passenger as well. 2.4K resolution,

so everything from ADAS interactions to nav and vehicle status, physical buttons,

on scroll wheels, on the dual-spoke steering wheel, a little two-tone black leather and white

leather steering wheel, which looks really nice actually in the pictures. Everything's trimmed

in Napa leather. The driver, heating, ventilating massage seats as well, 14-way adjustment,

and the front passenger gets an electric leg rest and 120-degree reclining as well,

and you can switch into called big bed mode. Love the idea of big bed mode. That sounds very cool.

Rear passengers get a 10-degree seatback recline and fold out tables. Single motor, rear-wheel-drive

version at 230 kilowatts, that's about 310 horsepower. Dual motor adds a 140 kilowatt

motor onto the front axle. It'll be an LFP pack coming from CATL in two sizes, 82.4 or 95 kilowatt

hours. 800 volt system, very important. Okay, let's move on and talk a little bit about CATL.

In fact, let's do a couple of stories about solid state, should we? So first of all,

CATL, the world's biggest EV battery maker, has launched pilot development of their all

solid state cells in China. That's now in pilot development. It's a sulfide-based cell,

and it sells the battery at home as the Ningdi Shi Dai, all solid state pack. They target 500

watt hours per kilogram. Small-scale production begins next year. The move comes as China prepares

national technical standards for what solid state batteries are and how we talk about them.

That's coming in July. That gives the programmer clearer frame, even if the hard part is actually

making the cells. CATL's filed new patents for the specific positive electrode, active material,

and the patent aims to address instability in sulfide electrolytes. That fits CATL's main tech

focus, stabilizing the solid state electrolyte. Those interfaces have suffered contact failures,

and that's been holding it back. The problem looks simple on paper. In practice, it's not.

They say the science is solved. They just can't engineer it at scale yet. Near term,

they have targeted a 60 amp hour automotive grade prototype cell. Current samples are 20 amp

hour. The next move, that's going to be their next engineering challenge, they say. Sulfide

solid state battery stacks need sustained compression, high tonnage compression. You

really have to compress solid state cells to keep the ceramic-like layers in contact. If you don't

push them together and have very high pressure and compression in a solid state pack, at least

in this technology, then you can't get the contact needed. The layers inside are very dense and they're

brittle. The need for sustained compression forces rigid casing designs, and those designs risk cutting

into the weight gain promised by high energy density. CATL identifying cost still as the biggest

barrier to commercializing this technology. Sulfide solid state is three to five times as much

as lithium ion cells, conventional liquid electrolytes. This will start very high

end in niche things that need the technology and the weight savings if they can overcome these

problems. We'll take a break, and the second solid state story is next. Stick around.

Hey, welcome back to the podcast. Next solid state story today is CALB, the chairwoman Liu

Jingyu, using China's two sessions. It's a two sessions is a political summit in China, in Beijing,

and using that event to unveil CALB's 60 amp power, all solid state cell, which is, they say,

the route to 621 mile or 1000 kilometer range vehicles. I understand why the headline says that,

and why you'd say that headline to politicians. But it means nothing, right? So you shouldn't

talk about solid state cells as delivering X amount of range in an EV. So you can't say, well,

if this cell comes off, we'll get an EV going 600 miles, would you could invent one now,

just have a really big battery pack with current technology. So it's a very inaccurate way of

describing a technology saying, wow, this cell allows for 1000 kilometers. So that's great. Well,

but you need some other, the other variables need to be included in that, like how big is the battery

pack. So they did mention the energy density of their cells at CALB. It's 450 watt hours per

kilogram. That's about double, more than double compared to some commercialized technology in

cars right now. It weighs under 500 grams. And the firm says it cuts weight by 75% versus the

cheapest LFP mainstream tech that's out there right now. That saving comes from the chemistry

change. CALB replaces graphite anodes with lithium metal or silicon composite systems

for true solid state. The firm said it sulfide electrolytes offer 15% higher connectivity,

conductivity and CALB said supporting over 6C charging rate, which would be a 10 to 80 charge

in seven minutes or so. But very interesting technology that will go into things like

robotics, drones, Evitol first before it ends up in automotive. Now, BYD's ride hailing and

corporate focused sub-brand Lin Kui has confirmed that its flagship E7, that's a sedan, will use

their latest flash charging technology. BYD unveiled it just under a week ago, the BYD

BladeBattery 2.0 with its nine minutes charge time to 97% LFP technology. Of course, that

matters because flash charging no longer sits within the premium brands like the young ones and

the densers of the world. This is a ride hailing fleet, getting access to flash charging. But

BladeBattery 2.0. It's a midsize sedan, is the E7, built on the C-Lions EV platform,

the C-Lion 06 platform and BYD positions the E7 for ride hailing, for taxis, for business fleets

as well. And that's very important because it proves that BYD want to make this incredible

technology, which many overseas, by the way, still view as alien technology because it's 1.5

megawatt charging for an average ride hailing vehicle, not just your absolute top end stuff

being made available to as many people and BYD want to roll that out to 20,000 flash charges

by the end of this year and who would bet against them. BYD also joining a task force, the International

Automotive Task Force, as its newest member. It's the first Chinese car maker inducted

into the newly established legal entity, the AISBL. So this is a piece of

maneuvering by BYD in the background, which I don't think will get reported

at all outside of China. But this is very important. And if you're following me this far

into a podcast all about the Chinese EV market, then I'm guessing you're interested in it. So

this, for me, is utterly crucial for what it signifies. The move gives BYD voting rights in

setting standards for the global automotive supply chain. It secured membership through a vote of

the existing members. And BYD now sits alongside Volkswagen, BMW, Geely and more. And it puts

it in the heart of the industry's rulemaking. So the membership lets Chinese EV expertise

shape future quality frameworks internationally. BYD operates in 120 countries. So that's

engineering is very important. Geely was the first Asian voting member in 2021. And this is what

I've talked about a little bit on the podcast. And I'm getting ahead here of the mainstream curve.

But I think, you know, I think you and I are going on this journey together. If you're still

listening at this point in the podcast, China went from copying the West, requiring joint

ventures with car makers, if they wanted to sell in China, learning from them, innovating,

to then making, in many people's view, better products than Western car makers. And who can

argue with BYD and, you know, Geely's 1.5 megawatt charging on their Zika brand that doesn't get

reported as much as the BYD tech. To now, the next step, and I'm talking here like on a five,

10 year timeframe, I'm thinking, I'm zooming right out and trying to look at where we go.

Now the Chinese car makers have better technology, have faster rates of innovation.

Now they want to be at the heart of the rulemaking and the industry standards and industry bodies.

And when you have access to that and when you, when you control the rules, well, then that gives

you a whole different level of influence over the global automotive industry and the kind of cars

at the end of the day. Let's zoom right back in again to the kind of cars that you and I

will be buying in five and 10 and 20 years time and our kids will be buying. And I, like, that's

fascinating to me. So that's the bigger picture. Anyway, let's finish off by talking about Leauto.

Leauto's pure electric SUV, the i6, which is very highly rated, by the way, and test drives that,

at least the ones that end up on YouTube by the English speaking YouTubers that I can watch

have raved about the Leauto i6 and some of the ADAS systems on it, but they're not ending up in

customers hands as quick as the customers would like. Deliveries were 16,000 last month in February,

after 17,000 in January and 15,000 in December. And it matters because February included the

Lunar New Year as well. That cut production days. Keeping that number very high shows a peak daily

output that's increasing. So by the time we get the March numbers in, it should show a big increase.

So in December, monthly sales crossed 10,000 sales for the first time in the month. And they had a

launch offer of 10,000 RMB discount. It's over $1,300 US dollars equivalent. Complementary air

suspension, nice. Soft closed doors, 87 kilowatt hour CATL battery, an NVIDIA Drive Thor U-Chip,

the ADMAX driver assist system, which, like I say, is rated very, very highly. Maybe not

absolute top tier in all situations, just for the YouTubers that I watch, but very highly rated.

Strong demand then ran into problem, batteries. A battery supply shortage became the main bottleneck

for the I6. CATL batteries were in short supply and Liotto was waiting. So they responded in two

ways. They added Sunwoda as a secondary supplier and changed the production scheduling as well.

And over time, those steps reduced the supply pressure. Huatai Securities views the I6 as the

strongest overall contender in the 250,000 RMB pure electric segment. That's about 34,000 US dollars.

So if sales can stabilize around 15,000 units and supply constraints ease,

the I6 will become a cornerstone of Liotto's pure electric strategy.

And that's your podcast for today. Thanks for listening. See you on the next one.

CHINA: NIO Turns A Profit, Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Hood Fixed and MG4X SUV | 13 Mar 2026

About this episode

Xiaomi SU7

battery-swapping networks

Xiaomi SU-7 Ultra

carbon-fiber dual-ducted hood

aerodynamic veins

active intake grille

downforce

track mode

Nürburgring

bonnet

dual air ducts

crossover

smart cockpit

Peugeot iOn

7 Mg7

CATL

solid state battery

CALB

energy density

LFP battery

graphite anode

sulfide electrolyte

6C charging rate

BYD

Geely

1.5 megawatt charging

ADAS systems

Lunar New Year

air suspension

soft closed doors

NVIDIA Drive Thor U-Chip

ADMAX driver assist system

Sunwoda

pure electric segment

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