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EV News China: BMW iX3, CATL Hungary Production and August NEV Sales Rebound | 11 Sep 2025
EV News China: BMW iX3, CATL Hungary Production and August NEV Sales Rebound | 11 Sep 2025
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About this episode
The latest episode dives into significant developments in China's EV market, featuring BMW's introduction of the iX3, specifically tailored for Chinese consumers, and CATL's accelerated battery production in Hungary. The episode highlights a rebound in NEV sales, with over 1.1 million units sold in August, and discusses innovations like CATL's sodium-ion battery meeting new safety standards. Additionally, it covers the emergence of brands like Firefly and GAC's Ion V in Europe, alongside regulatory changes affecting retractable door handles in EVs, signaling a shift in design priorities.
Topics:
bmw ix3
catl battery production
nev sales rebound
sodium-ion batteries
firefly brand
gac ion v
retractable door handles regulation
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BMW UNVEILS CHINA-FOCUSED IX3 EV https://evne.ws/3VGh93U
CATL HUNGARY PLANT TO BEGIN PRODUCTION https://evne.ws/4nubF8x
CATL NAXTRA PASSES GB 38031-2025 https://evne.ws/45XB30t
CHINA AUGUST NEV SALES REBOUND ABOVE 1 MILLION https://evne.ws/46uv2Zf
FIREFLY EV EARNS TOP EURO NCAP RATING https://evne.ws/46CsCH9
GAC AION V LANDS IN EUROPE https://evne.ws/460zMFS
GEELY GALAXY UNVEILS STARSHINE 6 HYBRID https://evne.ws/3V2iVwa
HUAWEI-SERES AITO SUVS AT IAA 2025 https://evne.ws/4mXsDfH
RECORD EXPORTS DRIVE CHERY’S AUGUST SALES https://evne.ws/42lVzWa
SGMW AND HUAWEI DEEPEN STRATEGIC AUTO PARTNERSHIP https://evne.ws/3HRaGQG
WM MOTOR TO RESUME PRODUCTION UNDER XIANGFEI https://evne.ws/47yzszj
CHINA TO BAN RETRACTABLE DOOR HANDLES https://evne.ws/46cvl9R
You can read all the latest news on the blog here: https://EVne.ws/blog
Subscribe for free and listen to the podcast on audio platforms:
➤ Apple: https://EVne.ws/apple
➤ YouTube Music: https://EVne.ws/youtubemusic
➤ Spotify: https://EVne.ws/spotify
➤ TuneIn: https://EVne.ws/tunein
➤ iHeart: https://EVne.ws/iheart
BMW UNVEILS CHINA-FOCUSED IX3 EV https://evne.ws/3VGh93U
CATL HUNGARY PLANT TO BEGIN PRODUCTION https://evne.ws/4nubF8x
CATL NAXTRA PASSES GB 38031-2025 https://evne.ws/45XB30t
CHINA AUGUST NEV SALES REBOUND ABOVE 1 MILLION https://evne.ws/46uv2Zf
FIREFLY EV EARNS TOP EURO NCAP RATING https://evne.ws/46CsCH9
GAC AION V LANDS IN EUROPE https://evne.ws/460zMFS
GEELY GALAXY UNVEILS STARSHINE 6 HYBRID https://evne.ws/3V2iVwa
HUAWEI-SERES AITO SUVS AT IAA 2025 https://evne.ws/4mXsDfH
RECORD EXPORTS DRIVE CHERY’S AUGUST SALES https://evne.ws/42lVzWa
SGMW AND HUAWEI DEEPEN STRATEGIC AUTO PARTNERSHIP https://evne.ws/3HRaGQG
WM MOTOR TO RESUME PRODUCTION UNDER XIANGFEI https://evne.ws/47yzszj
CHINA TO BAN RETRACTABLE DOOR HANDLES https://evne.ws/46cvl9R
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Car
iX3 (G08)
"...el on the brand new Neuerklasse line, the all new IX3. Marking a major milestone for the brand's electr..."
Car
BMW Ix3 Bmw
"The production at the Shenyang factory in Lianying Province won't start until 2026. This China-made IX3, BMW say, is designed specifically with China in mind with a local engineering team leading development."
Car
Galaxy Starshine 6
"...Geely Galaxy, a Geely Auto sub-brand, debuted the Starshine 6, say that five times in a row, the Starshine 6 hy..."
Car
BMW M5
"... stepping into Europe showing its crossovers, the M5, the M8 and the M9 at IAA. Now, Ito is the premiu..."
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Today, we bring you the latest headlines, expert insights
and analysis from the heart of China's booming EV industry
and reveal how these developments are shaping the global landscape.
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and be part of the EV News Daily community.
Be like them by clicking on a link in the show notes.
We'll start with BMW, just showed off its first production model
on the brand new Neuerklasse line, the all new IX3.
Marking a major milestone for the brand's electrification plans.
A version built in China will debut next year.
The production at the Shenyang factory in Lianying Province won't start until 2026.
This China-made IX3, BMW say, is designed specifically with China in mind
with a local engineering team leading development.
Now, BMW says the new IX3 for China comes loaded with features
that matter to Chinese customers, including more cabin space,
upgraded digital functions, advanced driver assistance tailored for local roads.
The car features embedded AI with Alibaba and DeepSeq.
Not surprised, all the data stuff can't leave Chinese shores.
So working with companies like DeepSeq, Harmony OS for digital keys
and Huawei's high car and smart driving tech with my mentor.
BMW is calling the model a benchmark for China-specific digital intelligence
and luxury and driving dynamics.
BMW's chairman Oliver Zipser saying Neuerklasse is the company's most ambitious future product
and will radically change the design and technology.
The move highlights how BMW now sees China as the driver in the EV race,
especially AI as well.
That's crucial as Chinese EV makers are winning over buyers with fast new model
launches and smart cabins putting pressure on the luxury German brands.
Moving on, CATL says its new battery plant in Deberzen in Hungary
will start production by the end of the year, maybe early next year,
but it'll be months ahead of the original schedule, which aimed for late 2025.
The plant is designed to produce 100 gigawatt hours annually.
There's 9,000 employees.
That's much larger than their German facility
and it'll supply the batteries to BMW, Stellantis and Volkswagen.
This is CATL's second European factory, announced in August 2022.
Now earlier this year in May, the company raised about $4.6 billion
via a Hong Kong listing, directing around 90% of the funds towards
the Hungarian project's first two phases.
Just before the IAA mobility show in Munich,
CATL introduced the Shenzhen Pro battery.
Its first model using what they say is the NP3 technology.
That is lithium ion phosphate aimed at European EV makers
very high safety and at its peak, ultra-fast 12C rate charging.
Wow.
All right, staying with CATL very quickly.
They're sodium ion battery, which they call the NAXTRA battery.
Sodium ion technologies became the first in the world
to meet China's strict new national safety standards for EV batteries.
The standard, which covers hazards like thermal runaway,
crashes from below and repeated fast charging,
takes effect, at least legally, in July 2026.
Third-party tests by China's top automotive lab
confirm the sodium ion battery from CATL, the NAXTRA pack,
passed every safety check at cell level and pack level.
By passing, the NAXTRA battery shows it can cut lithium demand,
lower the industry's carbon footprint and keep EVs running strong,
even in freezing northern climates,
key for wide adoption in places with tough winters.
CATL sees this certification as a major step forward
in next generation EV sodium ion battery technology.
Now China's retail sales of new energy vehicles
hit 1.1 million in August, a jump from both the previous month
and August last year.
The number beats earlier industry estimates
and brings sales back above a million of EV sales after a dip in July.
Battery electric vehicles were the main driver.
A 686,000 purebev sold in China in August,
that's up 17% from the same month last year and 13% on July.
With BEVs, now 62% of all EV sales.
On the wholesale side,
NEV shipments were 1.28 million units
and China exported 204,000 passenger NEVs.
That's more than double last year's exports.
NEVs now account for 40% of all vehicle exports from China.
Firefly is one of the brands coming to Europe
and the Firefly EV brand earned a five star safety rating
in the 2025 Euro NCAP crash testing.
The five door hatchback called Firefly scored 96%
on occupant protection, the highest among the models tested.
87% for child safety, 82% for pedestrian protection
and 86% for safety assistance systems.
Now Danielle Jin, president of the Neo sub-brand Firefly,
said on Weibo back in July that building the safest
of small cars for global users was not only a core principle
set during Firefly's product definition,
but also that raising safety standards in compact cars
is really hard because of the cost and size limits
and Firefly's short front and rear overhangs
which reduce crumple zones.
He said the team used vehicle design,
hardware capability and materials
to get that five star safety rating.
They announced Firefly back in December last year,
up against brands like Mini and Smart.
Now, GAC Group has launched the second generation
of their electric SUV, the Ion V here in Europe
with a starting price of 36,000 euros,
about 42,000 US equivalent of my US listeners.
It's a five seat crossover matching the size
of a Skoda ENIAC.
Now that debuted in China a year ago in 2024 in July.
Its first generation model was back in 2020 I think
and was also used as the base for things
like the Mitsubishi Air Trek.
That's not on sale anymore, but it was in China.
The Ion brand belongs to the Guangzhou based GAC Group
which unifies its brands under the one GAC strategy
for overseas markets.
Besides Europe, GAC's already established a presence
in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.
The European Ion V was launched on September the 8th.
Inside the Ion V comes with a 14.6 inch floating
touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto,
a gear shifter behind the round two-spoke steering wheel.
The centre tunnel has wireless charging pads
to cup holders and storage.
Standard features in the European version
include the heat pump, standard, a combined refrigerator
and heater.
Nine speakers, front seats with an eight point
massage feature and even 3.3 kilowatts
vehicle to load discharge.
It supports level two drive resistance with 13 functions
and a 75 kilowatt hour battery, 10 to 80 in 24 minutes.
35, 36,000 euros, a real sweet spot for vehicles
around the size of the Skoda ENIAC.
Now, Geely Galaxy, a Geely Auto sub-brand,
debuted the Starshine 6, say that five times in a row,
the Starshine 6 hybrid in Shufu in Shandong.
It targets budget family sedans in China,
like the BYD Shin Plus and it's positioned as an entry car
for young buyers and a budget mainstream family car.
The little Geely Galaxy uses their next generation
Leishen AI hybrid system, battery range of 77 miles,
which is really good for anything with a battery inside
that also has an engine.
The model uses lithium ion phosphate battery
supplied by CALB.
They have their G pilot drive resistance system,
which will park for you and even do
urban commuting pilot assistance.
Now, the Huawei series or Ceres Ito brand
is showing off their SUVs in Munich this week at the IAA show.
Ito is stepping into Europe showing its crossovers,
the M5, the M8 and the M9 at IAA.
Now, Ito is the premium brand created by Ceres
and Huawei under the HIMA network.
These models signal the brand's interest in overseas markets.
The China lineup includes the 5, 7, 8 and 9.
So the M5 is a mid-size SUV launched three years ago.
The M8 is a full-size SUV,
recently adding both a range extended and pure electric version.
The M9, top of the shop,
went on sale a couple of years ago in China.
That one features advanced LiDAR,
a triple screen dashboard and even a 15.6 inch center display.
Six seats if you want it.
For the M9, the extended range version has a 52 kilowatt hour battery,
290 kilometers electric only CLTC
with a combined output of 365 kilowatts.
I mean, look, that's an E-rev with a 52 kilowatt hour battery.
You'll never use any petrol, will you?
The all-electric M9 uses a 100 kilowatt hour battery,
twin motors for higher performance.
Now, the M7 wasn't shown over here in Europe,
but will be updated for the China market
with the first gen model is still available.
Now, let's talk a little bit about record exports on the podcast
coming soon.
Also, SAIC GM Wooling Joint Venture and WM Motor
is being resurrected.
All those stories and more coming in a moment
after the break, stick around.
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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 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's 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.
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All right, welcome back to the podcast.
Now, let's talk a little bit about record exports for Cherry.
Now, Cherry sold 242,736 vehicles in August.
So, first of all, that was good
because it was up 15% on the same month last year.
Exports were 130,000, though.
And again, that was up massively,
32% on the same month last year.
August was a new monthly export record for Cherry.
And exports have been over 100,000
for four consecutive months now.
New energy vehicle sales were 71,000 in August.
That's up 50% a year over year.
Unlike other Chinese automakers,
Cherry's exports currently exceed their domestic sales.
So, the export market for Cherry isn't a Cherry on top.
Pardon the pun, I knew what I was doing.
But it is a core part of their business
that they sell more cars overseas than at home.
As of the end of July this year,
Cherry became the first Chinese automaker
to surpass 5 million vehicles in exports, cumulatively,
and has been the top Chinese passenger vehicle exporter
for 22 consecutive years.
Now, the joint venture SAIC GM Wuling
and Huawei signed a big agreement
aimed at deepening their work together
on things like smart driving, vehicle cockpits,
and manufacturing digitization.
During the announcement,
they showed off the new flagship SUV.
It's a six-seater.
It's a flagship.
It's called the Baozhun Huajing S.
The SUV has Huawei's latest driving system,
the advanced Harmony Space Cockpit,
in-car cloud services,
and an in-cabin laser vision system.
These features bring Huawei's strength
and intelligent tech into vehicles.
Beyond Huawei systems,
the project merges these technologies
with the own system coming from SGMW,
the powertrain, the battery,
and a deeply integrated smart platform, they say.
Now, here's a company resurrected.
Shenzhen Xiangfei Automobile Sales Company
is bringing back,
because they're the restructuring investor
and the shareholder, of WM Motor.
Now, WM Motor has four operating entities
taking control of those units.
The company set on its official social media accounts.
WM Motor had a big financial crisis in 2022
and had to go on to restructuring.
The Xiangfei said it will quickly
restart mass production of the vehicles,
the EX5 and the E5,
at their manufacturing base in Zhejiang
and laid out a recovery plan.
Over the next five years,
the company plans to launch
more than 10 new products across sedans,
SUVs, MPVs, and crossovers.
Xiangfei plans to invest about a billion RMB
or 140 million US dollars equivalent
into the initial phase of upgrades,
supply chains, and development.
And finally, Chinese regulators
are preparing a mandatory standard
to ban retractable door handles,
often seen on electric vehicles.
Now, the regulators cite functional failures
and safety risks.
And the draft is expected this month.
It would give the carmakers a year,
one year grace before they're enforced,
starting in July 2027, maybe.
Semi-retractable and traditional door handles
will be allowed, but they must be a mechanical backup.
So the handle always works if the vehicle's without power.
Manufacturers say the hidden handles cut drag.
Some say it cuts the drag by 0.03 CD.
That's quite a lot.
But independent tests put the number
much, much lower.
The improvement at only 0.005 CD.
That smaller gain comes with some savings of energy.
So over 62 miles or 100 kilometers,
you could save up to 0.6 kilowatt hours
or 600 watt hours.
But the motors and the mechanisms required
in these retractable fancy pants door handles
are about 18 pounds or over eight kilograms of weight.
And that then partly offsets any aero gains.
These systems are reported to cost three times more
than a good old-fashioned door handle.
And they fail eight times as often.
For one major EV brand unnamed,
door handle faults were 12% of all vehicle repair cases.
Safety testing and incident data
is driving the move by regulators in China.
The China Insurance Automotive Safety Index
found the doors with retractable electronic handles
only opened successfully after a side impact.
67% of the time, that's 98% of vehicles,
will open if they just have, you know, a door handle.
Real world failures include the cold snap last year
in Changshun, where handle motors froze
and you couldn't get out of the car,
and heavy rains in Guangdong last year as well.
Short circuits stopped the doors opening
and forced passengers to even break windows
to escape vehicles.
Now, some automakers use semi-retractable handles,
that sort of balances looks and function.
Volkswagen has them, FAW Audi has these semi-retractable handles
but then also have a red pull cord in a collision
to provide mechanical openings.
The proposed ban on retractable door handles,
part of a wider regulatory scrutiny
of modern vehicle designs.
I've got to be honest, I'm kind of with China on this.
They look fancy but they break all the time.
The amount of warranty claims that Tesla's done
on retractable door handles.
And sure, so much technology in the event of an accident,
you just want to be able to leave the vehicle quickly and safely.
And so that will obviously have ripple effects
through the global automotive industry.
Because if you can't sell your handles in China,
then you probably won't engineer it on your non-China vehicles,
if that makes sense.
And that's your podcast for today.
Thank you so much for listening.
EV News China is back after a trial run earlier in the year.
In July, went down really well.
So I've been waiting for the school holidays to finish
so I can get back to providing a bit more of a full service
on EV News Daily.
So EV News China back weekdays to keep you up to speed
in the global automotive EV industry.
Thanks for listening.
I'll see you on the next one.
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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.
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.
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.
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