The head of Hongqi's Australian importer believes the global electric vehicle contest will ultimately come down to Chinese carmakers and Tesla, with solid-state batteries representing Japanese manufacturers' last opportunity to compete.

Jim Wu, Founder, Managing Director and CEO of Greentech Smart EV, outlined his views during a Q&A at the HQ E-HS9 Australian launch in Melbourne on 11 November 2026, attended by CarSauce.

His assessment also underpins an EV-only direction for HQ, the name under which Hongqi has launched in Australia, rather than a line-up incorporating plug-in hybrids.

Wu is a co-founder and former President of Leapmotor, with more than 20 years of experience at Peugeot, Honda and Toyota, including running Toyota's national sales and marketing operations in China.

In his view, Tesla is the only American EV manufacturer positioned to survive globally, while Chinese manufacturers are pursuing different technical solutions in a broadly similar direction.

He argued that Japanese carmakers need to make rapid progress with solid-state batteries to remain competitive, describing the technology as their “last chance”.

Wu expects Chinese manufacturers to compete through pricing, comfort and in-car technology.

Why Wu favours EVs over plug-in hybrids

Asked whether HQ would offer plug-in hybrids alongside EVs, Wu outlined his preference for an electric-only approach.

He argued that plug-in hybrid and range-extender powertrains make economic sense when battery materials are expensive enough that fitting two propulsion systems costs less than the battery required for a fully electric vehicle.

On driving range, Wu described the engineering task as “very easy” for Chinese manufacturers, but questioned how much range buyers actually need.

He nominated around 550km as a useful driving range and suggested 600km would cover a broad set of needs.
Those figures described his view of practical range requirements, rather than an E-HS9 specification.

Wu also placed greater importance on the cabin experience than exterior styling, using the iPhone as an analogy for how technology can expand a product's functions.

He said the sounds, displays and overall sensory experience inside a vehicle would become increasingly important to customers.
His argument was that occupants experience the interior while driving, rather than looking at their own car's exterior colour.

The HQ E-HS9 is a six-seat electric SUV with an indicative price below $150,000 before on-road costs and deliveries scheduled from 18 January 2027.

HQ's rollout also includes the EHS4 launching in December 2026 and the EHS5 in April 2027.

Previous slide Next slide