China EV Daily, Sept 1: Xiaomi Pengcheng launch looms, BYD tops August at 440k NEVs, Golden September wave

China's NEV sector opened September with a double headline: Xiaomi's long-teased Pengcheng range-extended SUV family is finally days from launch, and the August sales tallies confirmed BYD still sets the pace at 440,000 units even as the market's growth spreads to SAIC, Chery and the Huawei-ecosystem brands. With the "Golden September, Silver October" shopping season kicking off, a wave of BEV, PHEV and EREV flagships — BYD Sealion 08, a refreshed Li Auto MEGA, Lantu Dreamer 9, FREELANDER 神行者8 and two Huawei-linked SUVs — is set to land within the first week.

Xiaomi Pengcheng N70 / N90 range-extended SUVs approach launch

Xiaomi's first range-extended (EREV) models — the Pengcheng N70 (large five-seat) and N90 (full-size seven-seat) — are expected to go on sale in early September. Both opened presale on July 30: the N70 Max at ¥259,900 (approx. $36,000 USD, our estimate) and the N90 Max at ¥299,900 (approx. $41,500 USD, our estimate). Final on-sale pricing is to be confirmed at launch. Xiaomi also confirmed August deliveries topped 30,000 units for the fifth consecutive month. In a Beijing–Shanghai endurance run, the company claims the N90 Max covered 1,230 km with zero recharge at an average 104 km/h, with a tested pure-electric leg of 323.6 km (CLTC) — a figure Xiaomi highlights by noting that, per its own data, more than 65% of range-extended models on sale cite under 300 km of CLTC electric range.

Source: Tencent Auto (citing Yiche), Sep 1 — https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20260901A06VCG00

BYD reports 440,293 NEV sales in August, exports hit a record

BYD filed its August production and sales report with the Hong Kong exchange on September 1. The group sold 440,293 new-energy vehicles in the month — up 17.84% year-on-year — comprising 256,230 battery-electric and 177,154 plug-in hybrid units. NEV exports reached 189,466 units, a new brand record. For the first eight months, cumulative NEV sales came to 2,668,015 units, down 6.84% versus the same period last year, reflecting a tougher comparison base even as monthly momentum recovers.

Source: BYD voluntary announcement (HKEX), Sep 1 — https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0901/2026090101972_c.pdf ; 21st Century Business Herald — https://m.21jingji.com/timeline/3c3fe93e001b0dc10235012f877b27fa.html

SAIC Motor's NEV sales jump 47% as exports surge

SAIC Motor disclosed August deliveries of 357,007 vehicles (-1.75% YoY), but its new-energy segment stood out at 190,836 units, up 47.06% year-on-year. Overseas and overseas-base sales reached 139,207 units, up 57.67%, underscoring how the Shanghai giant is leaning on electrification and international markets to offset soft domestic ICE demand.

Source: SAIC Motor August sales report (via China Fund) — https://so.html5.qq.com/page/real/search_news?docid=70000021_6476a96b38834552

Chery becomes first Chinese brand to pass 7 million cumulative exports

Chery Group reportedly became the first Chinese automaker to surpass 7 million cumulative vehicle exports, reaching 7.18 million units, according to a CarsEvs compilation of company data. The group delivered 280,128 vehicles in August, with new-energy sales above 120,000 units (up nearly 70% YoY) and exports of 196,984 units (+52.1%) — extending a five-month streak above 100,000 NEVs per month.

Source: CarsEvs, Sep 1 — https://carsevs.com/news/byd-tops-august-nev-sales-with-440-000-units-chery-becomes-first-chinese-brand-to-hit-7m-cumulative-exports-2026-09-01

BYD Sealion 08 launches Sept 2 in PHEV and BEV forms

BYD's Ocean-network flagship SUV, the Sealion 08, is set to launch on September 2 after presales of ¥230,000–280,000. The DM-i plug-in hybrid pairs a 1.5T engine with up to 400 km of CLTC pure-electric range, while the BEV版本 offers 92.093 kWh or 115.072 kWh batteries with CLTC range up to 900 km. Both sit on an 800V platform with DiPilot 5.0, rear-wheel steering and Yun’nian-A air suspension.

Source: Autohome, Aug 31 — https://chejiahao.autohome.com.cn/info/26343089 ; Toutiao, Aug 29 — https://www.toutiao.com/article/7679290430323704346

Lantu Dreamer 9 opens presale Sept 5 as a 50万-class flagship MPV

Voyah (Lantu) will open presales for the all-new Dreamer 9 on September 5, positioning it as a "500,000-yuan-class" intelligent luxury MPV. The model is built on a full L3-domain driving architecture and debuts a power-retractable "Kunpeng Lingyun" hood ornament. It will be offered as both a plug-in hybrid (1.5T + dual motors, 555 kW combined) and a BEV on an 800V platform with a 119.6 kWh CATL battery and 701 km CLTC range.

Source: Tencent News, Sep 1 — https://so.html5.qq.com/page/real/search_news?docid=70000021_5186a9639ac18052

Refreshed Li Auto MEGA arrives Sept 2 with four lidar and rear steering

Li Auto's updated MEGA flagship electric MPV launches September 2. Headline changes include ±7° rear-wheel steering (cutting the turning diameter to 5.5 m), an 800V active anti-roll bar, and a lidar count rising from one to four for 360° coverage. Power edges up to 413 kW with a 108 kWh CATL ternary pack sustaining 710 km CLTC and 5C fast charging.

Source: Toutiao, Aug 29 — https://www.toutiao.com/article/7679290430323704346

FREELANDER 神行者8 brings EREV power to a JLR-designed SUV on Sept 3

Chery Jaguar Land Rover's FREELANDER 神行者8 goes on sale September 3, priced ¥339,900–429,900. The boxy SUV uses a 1.5T range extender with a 60.3 kWh CATL battery for 310 km CLTC electric range and 6C charging (20–80% in about 12 minutes), paired with Huawei's 896-line lidar and ADS 5 driver-assistance.

Source: 163.com (via NetEase), Sep 1 — https://www.163.com/dy/article/L5OGRU2D052784D6.html

Huawei ecosystem: Zhijie RX (BEV) and Qijing GX7 (EREV) join the September rush

Two Huawei-stacked SUVs round out the month. The Zhijie RX coupe-SUV is in presale at ¥299,800–399,800 on a pure-electric Huawei "Whale" battery platform, claiming up to 852 km CLTC and an L3-domain architecture with four lidar. The GAC–Huawei Qijing GX7 range-extended SUV opens presale September 4, using a 1.5T EREV with an 800V 5C CATL "Xiaoyao" battery, 385 km CLTC electric range and total range above 1,500 km.

Source: NetEase, Sep 1 — https://dy.163.com/article/L5OQ65RF0527BNSR.html

New national safety standard tightens one-pedal and ADAS rules

Beijing published the mandatory GB 7258—2026 "Technical Conditions for Motor Vehicle Operation Safety," effective July 1, 2027. The revision formalizes rules for one-pedal (single-pedal) braking and virtual controls, requires NEV passenger cars to have accelerator-pedal-misapplication suppression, and mandates activation confirmation plus driver eye/hand-disengagement monitoring for combined driver-assistance systems.

Source: Tencent Auto (citing Phoenix), Sep 1 — https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20260901A0363A00

Editor's note on imagery: This daily roundup is published without per-item photography. Per our editorial standard, no AI-generated or non-official imagery is used to depict vehicles; where a verified official or manufacturer press image could not be sourced and self-hosted at publish time, the item runs text-only. Cover uses the EV & Auto Club brand placeholder.

Image credits: Manufacturer press offices / official sources as linked per item; cover — EV & Auto Club.