EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs · Martyn Lee

CHINA: Xiaomi SU7 Reviews, EV Exports Surge and Audi A6L Etron | 26 Mar 2026

·17 min·1 clip

Chinese automakers sold 27 million vehicles worldwide last year, overtaking Japan’s 25 million.

1. EV News Daily’s 26 Mar 2026 China episode focuses on Xiaomi’s SU7 facelift, China’s export surge, Audi’s A6L e-tron, and Chinese automakers overtaking Japan globally. 2. The host presents the news in a solo format and names Xiaomi, BYD, CATL, Audi FAW, GAC, Chery, and Magna as the companies driving the stories. 3. The episode asks what China’s EV market is signaling to the rest of the world as product updates, battery supply, exports, and global sales rankings all move at once. 4. Xiaomi’s SU7 gets its first facelift after two years on sale in China, with styling changes, a quieter cabin, more power, and faster charging. 5. The SU7 update includes flip-up electronic door handles, laminated glass, soft-touch materials, and redesigned dashboard and console parts that borrow from the Xiaomi YU7. 6. Reviewers at four early drive events in Beijing praise the quieter cabin, while Mark Rainford says some rivals in China remain marginally quieter. 7. Xiaomi also moves to 800-volt architecture across all SU7s, with the SU7 Max near 900 volts and a long-range variant quoted at 902 kilometers on the China cycle. 8. The host says Xiaomi claims 416 miles of range in 15 minutes and quotes Elliot Richards on a more natural, progressive throttle response. 9. Will Sundin is cited for sharper turn-in and improved handling, showing that the facelift is being presented as more than a trim update. 10. Xiaomi also becomes BYD’s largest external battery customer, taking 17.9% of BYD’s batteries in February according to the China Passenger Car Association. 11. Xiaomi’s cumulative sales for January and February pass 59,000 units, up 47.5% year on year, and Lei Jun says the updated SU7 received more than 30,000 reservations at its first delivery ceremony. 12. CATL remains first in China’s power battery market in February, with more than 50% share and installation volume 3.1 times BYD’s. 13. China exported 750,000 vehicles in February, up 79% year on year, and 320,000 of those were EVs, up 120% year on year. 14. For January and February combined, the episode gives export totals of 1.55 million vehicles and breaks EV exports into roughly 440,000 BEVs and 240,000 plug-in hybrids. 15. The host says passenger cars account for 84% of exports, with SUVs driving growth overseas and Brazil, the UK, Belgium, Italy, and Thailand among the top NEV destinations. 16. Audi’s A6L e-tron opens pre-sales in China through FAW-Audi in four variants, with pricing from 313,000 RMB to about US$64,000. 17. The A6L e-tron rides on the PPE platform, comes from Audi FAW’s first purpose-built EV plant in China, and uses Huawei’s Tiangyun ADS drive system with urban and point-to-point NOA plus parking features. 18. The episode’s tone is fast-moving and data-heavy, with the host shifting quickly between product details, sales figures, and market-share comparisons. 19. Listeners tracking China’s EV industry, battery supply, and export numbers will get the most from it. 20. Listeners wanting long-form interviews or narrative drama may skip it.

As heard by us

Chinese automakers in Europe and a trim-heavy plug-in hybrid SUV take center stage.

The episode connects GAC's European manufacturing push with Graz in Austria emerging as a production base for Chinese carmakers moving into Europe.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For when you want the China EV market explained with production strategy and trim-by-trim hardware details.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs