China NEV News Roundup: BYD Sealion 08 and New Li Auto MEGA Launch as August Sales Hit Records

China's "Golden September" sales season opened with a cluster of launch events on September 2, headlined by BYD's Sealion 08 flagship SUV and Li Auto's fully refreshed MEGA electric MPV. Behind the product wave, August delivery figures confirmed BYD's dominance above 440,000 units, Leapmotor crossing the 100,000 monthly mark for a second straight month, and Chery becoming the first Chinese automaker to surpass 7 million cumulative vehicle exports. This roundup covers battery-electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and extended-range (EREV) models across new-car launches, sales, policy and technology.

BYD Sealion 08 hits the market — PHEV and BEV flagship SUV

BYD launched the Sealion 08 on September 2, the new flagship of its Ocean Network. Previewed at RMB 230,000–280,000, post-launch reporting puts the DM-i plug-in hybrid from RMB 229,900 (approx. $31,900) and the EV from RMB 239,900 (approx. $33,300), with top trims at RMB 269,900 and RMB 279,900 respectively.

The Sealion 08 offers two powertrains: a DM-i PHEV with a 1.5T engine (115 kW) delivering 400 km CLTC pure-electric range and 1,650 km combined range, and a BEV version with up to 900 km CLTC. It measures 5,115 × 1,999 × 1,800 mm with a 3,030 mm wheelbase, in 5- and 6-seat layouts. Standard equipment includes rear-wheel steering, DiSus-A closed dual-chamber air suspension and the God's Eye 5.0 LiDAR-assisted driving system.

China-market model; no overseas/export version has been announced.
Source: China.com, PCAuto, NetEase, QQ Auto Daily

New-generation Li Auto MEGA launches — flagship electric MPV

Also on September 2, Li Auto unveiled the new-generation MEGA, its flagship battery-electric MPV. Highlights include a 29-inch integrated centre and front-passenger display, ±7° rear-wheel steering that cuts the turning diameter from 6.5 m to 5.5 m, four LiDAR units for 360° coverage, an 800V active anti-roll bar and full active suspension.

It keeps a 108 kWh CATL ternary battery with 710 km CLTC range and 5C supercharging, with a front motor at 155 kW and rear motor raised to 258 kW for a combined 413 kW.

Source: China.com, NetEase

August sales: BYD leads at 440,293; Leapmotor tops 100k; Chery hits 7M exports

BYD sold 440,293 new-energy vehicles in August, up 17.84% year-on-year and 5.03% month-on-month — a record high for the year. The mix was 256,230 BEVs and 177,154 PHEVs, with overseas sales of 188,746 units (up 134.6% YoY), a new brand record.

Leapmotor delivered 103,129 vehicles (up 80.7% YoY), the first startup to top 100,000 for two consecutive months. Chery Group sold 280,128 units (up 15.4%) and became the first Chinese automaker to exceed 7 million cumulative vehicle exports (7.18 million). SAIC's NEV segment jumped 47.06% to 190,800; Geely posted 270,194 (up 8%). Among the challengers: XPeng 39,107, Li Auto 37,679 (+32.1%), NIO 35,836 (+14.5%), Zeekr 36,981 (+109.8%, a record), and Xiaomi above 30,000 for a fifth straight month. Huawei's HIMA alliance slipped 5.6% to 42,101.

Source: CnEVPost, CarsEvs, Tencent News, MarketScreener

Xiaomi Pengcheng N90 / N70 EREV SUVs near September launch

Xiaomi's range-extender SUVs, the Pengcheng N90 Max (presale RMB 299,900) and N70 Max (presale RMB 259,900), are set to launch in September as part of Xiaomi's "Tech Month." Both use a Dong'an 1.5T range extender with a 76 kWh battery and up to 1,705 km CLTC combined range. The N90 is a 2+2+3 seven-seater, the N70 a large five-seater (2,950 mm wheelbase), both on NVIDIA Thor with Xiaomi HAD driver assistance. (Presales opened in late July; the September event marks the market launch.)

Source: NetEase, QQ Auto Daily, Xchuxing

BYD Da Han EV presale — 1,008 km CLTC D-class sedan

BYD opened presales for the Da Han EV, a D-class flagship sedan at RMB 249,900–299,900 (approx. $34,700–$41,600). It measures 5,256 × 1,999 × 1,510 mm with a 3,130 mm wheelbase, uses the second-generation Blade Battery, and claims up to 1,008 km CLTC range with flash-charging support. Rear-wheel and all-wheel drive are offered, with God's Eye B / 5.0 driver assistance as standard.

Source: NetEase, Autohome

FREELANDER 神行者8 EREV to launch September 3

The Chery–Jaguar Land Rover joint-venture brand FREELANDER will launch the 神行者8 (Freelander 8) on September 3, with presales at RMB 339,900–429,900 (a limited first-edition at RMB 449,900). It is a mid-large extended-range SUV with a 1.5T range extender (115 kW), dual-motor AWD (610 kW total, 0–100 km/h in 4.6 s), a 60.3 kWh CATL battery (310 km CLTC), 6C charging (20–80% in 12 minutes) on an 800V architecture, Huawei Qiankun ADS 5, an 896-line LiDAR and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8397, in a 2+2+2 six-seat layout.

FREELANDER is a Chery–JLR venture; export plans have not been detailed.
Source: Toutiao, Autohome, Ifeng

Third-gen BYD Tang premieres; Denza N8 BEV (1,003 km) confirmed

At the Chengdu Auto Show (September 1), BYD premiered the third-generation Tang, a mid-large five-seat SUV at 5,045 mm with a 2,950 mm wheelbase, joining the "Da Tang" two-car strategy. Separately, Denza confirmed the N8 BEV with Blade Battery 2.0 and a CLTC range of 1,003 km.

Source: QQ Auto Daily

Policy: Three ministries issue auto overseas competition compliance guideline

On September 1, the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and State Administration for Market Regulation released the Guideline on Overseas Competitive Conduct and Compliance Building for the Automotive Industry (issued August 24, effective as guidance). The four-chapter, 20-article document is the first specialized guideline for auto overseas competition, covering overseas pricing strategy (avoiding frequent, large price swings that hurt brand image), dealer management, cross-border data, and safety, quality, labor and anti-monopoly compliance.

Source: MOFCOM, China.com, Workercn, China Youth Daily Auto

Tech: BYD mass-produces new 4D mmWave radar chip; GB 7258—2026 approved

BYD Semiconductor announced mass production of a next-generation 4D mmWave radar chip built on a 28 nm automotive process under the Xuanji A3 compute architecture, with 400 m+ detection and 0.8° horizontal resolution, covering highway NOA, urban driving and auto-parking. Separately, the mandatory GB 7258—2026 safety standard was approved (effective July 1, 2027), introducing rules for single-pedal modes, mis-press acceleration suppression, post-collision power cut, and mandatory activation confirmation plus hands-off/eyes-off detection for assisted driving.

Source: QQ Auto Daily (Phoenix), QQ Auto Daily (Trend News)

More September premieres to watch

Brief tracking of models already in presale or teased (not headlined here): BYD Fangchengbao Formula S / S GT BEV sports sedan (presale RMB 230,000–280,000), Hongqi H7 PHEV (presale RMB 191,800–231,800; 240 km electric, ~2,000 km combined), Geely Galaxy TT BEV sports sedan (presale RMB 145,900–209,800), Aistaland (GAC–Huawei) GX7 EREV SUV (presales open September 4, expected RMB 300,000–350,000), and Luxeed RX BEV. These extend PHEV/EREV coverage beyond today's launches.

Image credits: Brand placeholders used for cover; no AI-generated imagery. Official model photos to be added on subsequent media pass.