China's pre-holiday launch rush peaked on September 23 — a "Crazy Wednesday" that saw at least nine new-energy models go on sale in a single day, spanning battery-electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and extended-range electric (EREV). Here is the day's roundup, with every figure backed by a source link.
Qijing GX7: official launch image via 163.com
"Crazy Wednesday": nine NEVs hit the market at once
Ahead of the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, automakers dumped an entire wave of new models on September 23. The standouts cover all three powertrains:
Qijing GX7 — Huawei-stacked EREV SUV launches from ¥249,900
GAC-Huawei's Qijing GX7 went on sale September 23 at ¥249,900–311,900 (≈ $34,850–43,500), confirming the price band it held at presale. It is a large five-seat EREV SUV (3,070 mm wheelbase) on Huawei's "Chitu" platform with HarmonySpace 6 and Qiankun ADS 5 (four LiDAR). Powertrain options span single, dual and tri-motor, with the tri-motor AWD making 550 kW and 0–100 km/h in 3.9 s. Battery choices are 52 / 67 kWh, delivering up to 385 km CLTC electric and 1,580 km combined range, on an 800V 5C architecture (CATL cells).
Source: 今日头条 launch roundup — https://www.toutiao.com/article/7687924343015260681 ; 腾讯新闻 "9款新车同一天上市" — https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260921A0618G00
Changan Qiyuan Q06 — BEV + EREV coupe SUV from ¥147,900
Changan put the Qiyuan Q06 on sale September 23 at a post-equity price of ¥147,900–189,900 (≈ $20,630–26,490; presale ¥149,900–191,900). The mid-size coupe SUV offers both BEV (up to 700 km CLTC, 225–245 kW) and EREV (1.5L range extender + rear dual-motor, 270 kW, 200 km electric). Higher trims carry a 256-line LiDAR and 560 TOPS chip running Changan's "Tianshu" end-to-end NOA; the chassis uses all-aluminum double-wishbone front + five-link rear.
Source: 今日头条 — https://www.toutiao.com/article/7687924343015260681 ; 易车 trim list — https://car.m.yiche.com/changanqiyuanq06e/
Denza Z9S — BYD's 890 kW BEV flagship sedan from ¥319,800
BYD's Denza brand launched the Z9S on September 23 at ¥319,800–389,800 (≈ $44,600–54,370) — a large luxury BEV sedan on the e³ (YiSanFang) platform. The tri-motor version makes 890 kW, with a 102.3 kWh Blade 2.0 battery for up to 1,100 km CLTC, DiPilot B LiDAR ADAS, DiSus-A air suspension, rear-wheel steering and a 50-inch AR-HUD.
Source: 太平洋汽车 price database — https://price.pcauto.com.cn/cars/6/ ; 凤凰网 — https://h5.ifeng.com/c/vivo/v002--g--wWp388fLFqkpb4GJEKFwWDo1n8TjOzxaebstPILM__?isNews=1&showComments=0
IM LS6 & Geely Galaxy E5 — mainstream BEVs get RWD + LiDAR
- IM LS6 launched September 23 at ¥209,900–264,900 (≈ $29,280–36,950) — a large five-seat BEV SUV with a fully steer-by-wire chassis, rear-wheel steering (4.79 m turning radius) and 800V fast charging.
- Geely Galaxy E5 facelift launched September 23, switching to rear-wheel drive with a roof LiDAR and "Qianli HaoHan H5" ADAS; pricing around ¥109,800–145,800 (≈ $15,310–20,330).
Sources: 凤凰网 — https://h5.ifeng.com/c/vivo/v002--g--wWp388fLFqkpb4GJEKFwWDo1n8TjOzxaebstPILM__?isNews=1&showComments=0 ; 太平洋汽车 — https://price.pcauto.com.cn/cars/6/ ; 腾讯新闻 — https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260921A0618G00
Wey Gaoshan 8/9 Smart Edition & Haval Menglong PLUS — PHEV MPV and off-roader
- Wey Gaoshan 8 / 9 "Smart Edition" (PHEV MPV) launched September 23 with a new 8797 chip and Coffee OS 4; pricing ¥272,800–353,800 (≈ $38,050–49,340) for the line, with the Smart Edition flagship at ¥385,800 (≈ $53,810).
- Haval Menglong PLUS "Lisoul" Edition (PHEV) launched September 23 at ¥186,800–214,800 (≈ $26,050–29,960) — factory AT tires and off-road kit, 1.5T plug-in hybrid, 255 km electric range.
Sources: 太平洋汽车 — https://price.pcauto.com.cn/cars/6/ ; 今日头条 — https://www.toutiao.com/article/7687924343015260681
Buick Electra E7 refresh & Jetour Traveller 7 presale
- Buick Electra E7 facelift launched September 23 at ¥185,900–232,900 (≈ $25,930–32,480), sharpening its cabin and ADAS on GM's True Dragon (真龙) PHEV system (235 km electric / 1,630 km combined).
- Jetour Traveller 7 opened presale September 23 from ¥229,900 (≈ $32,070) — a hardcore PHEV SUV; final price and delivery to be confirmed. This is a presale, not a finalized price.
Sources: 太平洋汽车 — https://price.pcauto.com.cn/cars/6/ ; 优视汽车 preview (今日头条 feed)
CPCA: NEV penetration hits 67.9% in first 20 days of September
The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) reported on September 23 that Sept 1–20 passenger retail reached 878,000 units (down 22% YoY on a high 2025 base), of which NEV retail was 596,000, lifting the NEV penetration rate to 67.9% (up 14% MoM). The strong "Gold September" foot traffic is expected to continue into the holiday season.
Source: CPCA via 9/23 industry wrap — https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260921A0828O00
Citi: September EV orders soft, tracking a 6.7%–12% YoY drop
Citigroup dealer data (published September 23) shows Chinese EV orders fell 22% week-on-week in Sept 14–20 (5% ex-Xiaomi), putting full-month retail on track for a 6.7%–12% year-on-year decline after a strong first half. Brand divergence is sharp: Li Auto +113%, Tesla +38%, Geely Galaxy +10%, BYD +8%, while Huawei's HIMA alliance fell 27% and Leapmotor, XPeng and Xiaomi carry short-selling ratios above 35–47%. The read: a soft September on tough comps, not a collapse.
Source: Ed:Wealth / Citi note — https://www.edwealth.ai/news/post/china-ev-orders-fall-22-as-september-sales-head-for-12-drop
Dongfeng–Huawei deepen; Seres shifts to "Wenjie exclusive" model
On September 22, Dongfeng's general manager met Huawei's Ren Zhengfei to deepen cooperation on joint models (奕境 X9, Mengshi X700, Voyah Dreamer 9). Separately, Seres told its H1 briefing it is upgrading the Huawei tie-up to an "AITO-exclusive franchise" model — dedicated channels and service teams — as the global playbook for premium EV brands.
Source: 9/23 industry wrap — https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260921A0828O00
Solid-state battery timelines crowd the calendar
Several makers laid out solid-state roadmaps: Chery's "Rhinoceros" hybrid-solid battery lands Q4 2026 with full solid-state validation in 2027; Dongfeng targets a 350 Wh/kg hybrid-solid cell (1,000 km range) for Q4 2026 mass production; Li Auto sees small-batch fitment in 1–2 years; Changan's Zhu Huarong forecast the top-10 global automakers will hold 80% of the market by 2030.
Source: 9/23 industry wrap — https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260921A0828O00
Image credits: This edition uses no embedded vehicle photography. All cover/thumbnail rendering falls back to the site brand placeholder (og-home). No AI-generated imagery is used.
Chinese Brief (中文简报)
9月23日"疯狂星期三"中国新能源要闻：①单日至少9款新能源新车集中上市，覆盖BEV/PHEV/EREV。②启境GX7正式上市24.99–31.19万元（华为增程SUV，三电机550kW、纯电385km/综合1580km、800V 5C）；③长安启源Q06上市14.79–18.99万元权益价（纯电700km+增程200km，256线激光雷达）；④腾势Z9S上市31.98–38.98万元（易三方纯电轿跑，三电机890kW、1100km）；⑤智己LS6 20.99–26.49万元、吉利银河E5改款（后驱+激光雷达）约10.98–14.58万元上市；⑥魏牌高山8/9智慧版（PHEV MPV，8797芯片+Coffee OS4）27.28–35.38万元、哈弗猛龙PLUS力魂版（PHEV）18.68–21.48万元上市；⑦别克至境E7焕新（真龙插混，纯电235km）18.59–23.29万元、捷途旅行者7开启预售22.99万元起（PHEV，价待公布）；⑧乘联会9月1-20日新能源零售59.6万辆、渗透率67.9%；⑨花旗数据9/14-20订单环比-22%，9月零售预计同比-6.7%~-12%（理想+113%、特斯拉+38%、比亚迪+8%，HIMA-27%）；⑩东风-华为深化合作、赛力斯升级"问界专属专营"；⑪车企密集公布固态电池时间表（奇瑞Q4、东风350Wh/kg Q4、理想1-2年、长安2030前十占80%）。动力覆盖BEV/PHEV/EREV。
