China's 3 body problem China's weekly car news for week starting May 11 2026

The top stories and commentary about Chinese cars for the week starting May 11, 2026, from Mark Andrews, author of Driving the Dragon. In April, sales of pure electric and PHEV cars accounted for more than 60% of all sales. Only one car out of the top 10 sellers wasn’t what China calls a new energy vehicle (NEV). However, while sales of fuel (ICE) cars crashed, sales of NEVs also declined. Also in the news, we look at the Maestro S800 from Huawei and JAC being the best-selling premium sedan, plus a rumour that the partners may be teaming up with Stellantis to produce an electric Maserati. Stellantis also makes the news for its deal with Dongfeng to produce two new Peugeot and two new Jeep NEVs in China for the world market. The biggest news story looks at how China’s three US-listed NEV start-ups are very dependent on one model for sales – the 3 body problem – and how this is not just an issue with the start-ups. And finally, we cover alleged abuses of Chinese construction workers building BYD’s car plant in Hungary. In the spy shots section, we look at the forthcoming Fang Cheng Bao S GT wagon, and also the European exclusive BYD Dolphin G. Also covered are the Dongfeng eπ M8, a new SUV from Luxeed, and XPeng’s G9L and the Mona sub-brands L03 and L05. Launches cover the option of a lidar on the 2026 BYD Seagull (Dolphin Mini/Dolphin Surf), and the second-generation Li Auto L9 (Livis). Mark Andrews has been test-driving cars in China for publications such as Autocar, Auto Express, Carsales Australia, and the South China Morning Post since 2007, and he has also been writing about the Chinese car industry since then. His book Driving the Dragon tells the story of the rise of the Chinese car industry through his experience test-driving cars in the country. Video resources are from the OEMs and the pictures are from the OEMs, Autohome, The Guardian, Mark Andrews, and Weibo. 1:14 EVs sell more than 60% in April in China 2:58 Maextro S800 best-selling premium sedan in China 4:19 Chinese sales of Audi, BMW & Mercedes collapse in April 5:10 Dongfeng to produce 2 Peugeot & 2 Jeep cars for Stellantis 6:24 Maextro to make the next Maserati 8:36 China's 3 Body Problem - how the three start-ups are each dependent on 1 model for sales 12:21 Alleged abuses of workers building BYD plant in Hungary 12:50 Spy shots 13:00 Fang Cheng Bao S GT 13:50 BYD Dolphin G 14:52 Luxeed FUV 15:41 Dongfeng eπ M8 17:07 XPeng Mona L03 18:34 XPeng Mona L05 19:13 XPeng G9L 20:51 BYD Seagull (Dolphin Mini/Dolphin Surf) with lidar launch 21:59 second-generation Li Auto L9 launch