China EV News Today: Hongqi G919 EREV Presale, BJ40 Black Edition Launch, Tesla Semi Rolls Out

China's "golden September" sales sprint peaked again on Saturday, Sept 26, with two homegrown range-extended (EREV) off-roaders stealing the spotlight — Hongqi's first hardcore 4-motor SUV opened presales and Beijing's BJ40 gained a factory-black EREV edition — while Tesla's long-delayed Semi electric truck finally entered volume production in Nevada. Here are today's verified China new-energy vehicle (BEV / PHEV / EREV) headlines.

1. Hongqi G919 opens presale — first 4-motor EREV hardcore SUV (EREV)

FAW Hongqi opened presales for the G919 on Sept 22 (previewed widely on Sept 26), its first body-on-frame hardcore off-road SUV and the brand's bid for the premium "boxy" EV segment. Three trims — 拓境 / 御境 / 限定 — are priced ¥359,800–439,800 (approx. $50,200–$61,300 USD).

The G919 rides on Hongqi's Honghu off-road platform with a 2.0T range extender + vector-controlled four-motor AWD (combined 620 kW / 1,320 N·m, 0–100 km/h in 4.5 s), a 62.9 kWh ternary battery for 280 km CLTC electric range and 1,350 km total, an 800V SiC platform (30–80% in 12 min), and "three locks" (front/rear mechanical diff locks + energy center lock).接近角 30° / 离去角 32° / wading 900 mm. Final launch pricing and deliveries are still to come — this is a presale, not a finalized on-sale price.

Source: Autohome — https://chejiahao.autohome.com.cn/info/26544717 ; NetEase — https://www.163.com/dy/article/L7LRN4240553TF8W.html

2. Beijing BJ40 EREV Black Edition launched at ¥184,800 (EREV)

At the 2026 Beijing Off-Road Global User Conference on Sept 26, BJ40 增程黑曜版 (EREV Black Edition) launched as a single trim at ¥184,800 (approx. $25,800 USD), built to order with a full factory matte-black package (paint, wheels, badges) plus red 4-piston calipers — a compliant "stock-mod" alternative to aftermarket wraps.

It keeps the BJ40 EREV powertrain: EREV 4WD, 391 kW / 655 N·m, 0–100 km/h in 4.9 s, a 41.7 kWh LFP battery for 201 km CLTC electric range and 1,249 km total (1.17 L/100 km combined). Body-on-frame chassis, three locks, 38° approach / 37° departure, 750 mm wading, 13 rigidity rings.

Source: Autohome — https://www.autohome.com.cn/news/202609/1317442.html ; Sina Auto — https://auto.sina.com.cn/newcar/x/2026-09-26/detail-initckcf3955161.shtml

3. Tesla Semi finally enters mass production in Nevada (BEV, overseas)

On Thursday night, Tesla held a delivery event at its purpose-built Semi factory in Sparks, Nevada, marking the start of volume production of the long-delayed Semi electric Class-8 truck nearly nine years after its 2017 unveiling. Customers named include PepsiCo, DHL, US Foods, WattEV, ABF and Einride; Musk said the waitlist is "substantial" and the plant is rated at 50,000 units/year.

This is a foreign-brand BEV milestone rather than a China-market launch, but it matters for China's own electric-truck push (BYD, Foton, DeepAlphabet) and for the trans-Pacific freight electrification narrative.

Source: Wall Street CN (华尔街见闻) coverage, Sept 26, 2026.

4. MAZDA EZ-60 LiDAR version launches (BEV, Changan-Mazda JV)

At a fan festival in Zhuhai on Sept 26 (13:00), Changan Mazda launched the MAZDA EZ-60 激光版 (LiDAR version), adding a lidar-equipped ADAS variant to the EZ-60 electric crossover. A ¥10 deposit "inflates" by ¥100 per day up to ¥3,600 off the final price — a lock-in tactic to shorten purchase decisions.

The EZ-60 is the latest fruit of the Changan–Mazda NEV joint venture, part of a wave of legacy JV EVs (also VW ID.AURA T6, BMW Neue Klasse iX3) trying to rebound in China's EV price war. Final pricing was not disclosed in today's reports.

Source: Toutiao / Chang'an Mazda official, Sept 26, 2026.

5. Tesla China Model Y to roll back ~¥3,000 after incentive ends (BEV, overseas)

TechWeb reported Tesla China's limited-time cash incentives expire Sept 30: orders taken before then get ¥5,000 off all Model 3 and ¥10,000 off all Model Y (incl. Model Y L), stacking with 5-year 0-interest. After the window closes, some Model Y variants will rise about ¥3,000 (≈$418 USD). The move sets up an end-of-September rush ahead of the National Day holiday.

Source: TechWeb, Sept 26, 2026.

6. Huawei teases ultra-premium "Zunjie" SUV; Harmony Intelligent Mobility becomes five brands

At a Shenzhen event on Sept 26, Huawei's Richard Yu said the Harmony Intelligent Mobility (鸿蒙智行) ecosystem has expanded from "four brands" to "five brands" — Wenjie, Zhijie, Xiangjie, Zunjie and Shangjie. He teased the Zunjie SUV as "very, very high-end, with a sincerely priced" tag, targeting the million-yuan luxury segment against BMW X7, Mercedes GLS and Zeekr 9X. Zunjie is the fourth Huawei-selected brand after the recent spin-out of Wenjie's trademark to Seres for ¥11.5B.

Source: Phoenix (凤凰网), Sept 26, 2026.

7. September sales records: BYD passes 9 million NEVs, makers post big gains

On Sept 26 several Chinese EV makers published September delivery figures. BYD reported 419,400 units (+45.6% YoY), with its cumulative NEV output surpassing 9 million on Sept 25 (the 10-millionth is expected by late November). Other highlights: Chery 244,500 (+28.6%), Geely 201,900 (+21%), Li Auto 57,500 (+48.9%), NIO 33,800 (+113%), XPeng 21,352 (+39%), Leapmotor 59,769 (+84.6%, a record), and Harmony Intelligent Mobility 52,916 (+32.5%, Wenjie M8 best-seller at 21,244).

Per CAAM, September NEV sales set another record — total NEV around 1.6M units (+~45% YoY, >49% of all vehicle sales), with passenger NEV about 1.29M (+42%, ~46% of passenger sales), confirming NEV has moved from policy-driven to market-driven demand even after purchase-subsidy cuts.

Source: AutoTimes — https://www.autotimes.net/chinas-new-energy-vehicle-sales-are-in-september-nev-sales-rankings-released ; AsiaICT — http://asiaict.com/ai/5199.html ; CCEDIA — https://www.ccedia.com/finance_detail/1551186368859987968.html

Tracking — PHEV presence and the "golden September" cluster

PHEV / plug-in hybrids continue to anchor the rush: Lynk & Co 07 EM-P (PHEV) launched Sept 25 and Hongqi H9 (PHEV, Huawei Qiankun ADS) opened reservations Sept 25 — both outside today's headline window but confirming PHEV remains a core pillar alongside BEV and EREV.
The mid-September launch wave (Denza Z9S, IM LS6, Qijing GX7, Changan Qiyuan Q06, Geely Galaxy E5, Voyah Dreamer 9, etc.) is now in showrooms; today's items are genuinely new Sept-26 acts and are not re-headlined.
Policy: Nanjing opened a second-round NEV purchase subsidy (3% of invoice, up to ¥7,000) for Sept 16–Dec 31, reinforcing the National Day sales peak.

Image credits: This roundup uses text-only reporting; no AI-generated imagery. Cover uses the EV & Auto Club brand placeholder.

Tags: electricvehicles, EV, china