Welcome back to EV News China. Today, VW's grip loosens on China. S-Volt targets 10-minute charging,

and Ito hits 1 million. And stay tuned because later in the show, I'll tell you about a mega-MPV,

the Luxeat V9. Welcome back to EV News China, the podcast dedicated to the world's largest

EV market. Each day I bring you the latest headlines, insights and analysis from the heart

of China's booming EV industry and decode how fast-moving developments in the east are shaping

the global EV landscape. Okay, let's kick off. Volkswagen's China grip is loosening as the EV

race intensifies. Volkswagen still sells more cars in China than any other foreign brand. Last year,

the numbers are in for 2025. VW delivered 2.7 million vehicles, even as it was down by 8%. It's still the leader of the Western names.

But that decline matters. And I'll tell you why. China is both the world's largest car market

and the sharpest test of foreign carmaker's ability to shift to electrification. Local rivals now set the pace and frankly set the

standard in many cases in electric vehicles, in connectivity, assisted driving and AI integration.

Foreign firms that lead, lean on their old strengths, risk a slow slide. Volkswagen's current strength in China is very much petrol.

You know, I told you they delivered 2.7 million vehicles in China last year. 2.57 million were gasoline-powered

cars. Had a market share of over 22%. If you still want to buy a petrol car in China, VW is still a great

option. That base still yields cash and scale, but it also exposes a gap with Chinese competitors

in the BV battery electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid or e-rev space. The group now plans to close

the gap, though. This year,

20-26, VW will aim to launch more than 20, all-electric or plug-in hybrid or e-rev, extended range

electric vehicles, where the engines are little generator to charge the battery in China. All will

come with intelligent connectivity and advanced drive

resistance systems as standard. Some of the new cars will sit on the CMP compact main platform,

previously China main platform, developed inside China and on the CEA, China Electronic Architecture, a local electronic backbone designed

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