Li Bin and Li Xiang have set their sights on the same piece of cake.

Is it a wise choice to introduce 6 - 7 - seat SUVs when the competition in the 5 - seat SUV market is already fierce?

This summer, "three - row" SUVs have become the core of the electric vehicle market competition.

On July 16th, Tesla Model Y L made its debut. Just half a month later, on July 29th, Li Auto i8 was officially announced for launch. Two days after that, LeDao L90 set an impactful price, lowering the entry threshold for new - force "three - row" pure - electric SUVs. In August, the pure - electric version of AITO M8 will also be officially released. Even Hyundai, which has a relatively low profile in the domestic market, plans to bring a new - generation 6 - seat SUV to the Chengdu Auto Show at the end of August.

Looking back, the 6 - 7 - seat layout was mostly seen in MPVs and minivans, mainly for commercial use, and was originally a niche market segment. With the entry of new car - making forces, electric vehicles are getting larger, precisely meeting the preference of Chinese consumers for "large cars". At the same time, the hot sales of extended - range models from brands like Li Auto, AITO, and Leapmotor, combined with the real - world needs of two - child families and self - driving tours, have further activated the market for three - row SUVs.

Now, this trend has reached the pure - electric vehicle segment. Is it opening up a new market opportunity or just a false demand?

01 The "Three - Row" SUVs are Flooding the Market

While domestic "new forces" are updating their models several times a year, Tesla has been quite conservative in its model planning. However, this time, Tesla extended the body of the Model Y and added three rows with six seats, also joining the trend of large cars.

The Model Y L can be regarded as a "China - exclusive" model. It is larger than the current Model Y, offering more interior space and a better riding experience, meeting the preferences of Chinese users for "large space" and "quiet and comfortable" rides. Considering Tesla's brand advantage, the market generally predicts that the starting price of the Model Y L will be around 400,000 yuan, targeting the middle - class group, two - child families, and users looking to purchase an additional vehicle. It directly competes with popular models like the Li Auto i8 and AITO M9.

Li Auto and LeDao also have their eyes on this market segment. However, these two new - force brands that once worked together are now going in different directions.

As soon as the Li Auto i8 was unveiled, it was caught in a huge public - opinion storm. At the press conference, Li Auto publicly played a video of a head - on collision between the i8 and a heavy - duty truck, trying to showcase the new car's safety. In the video, the family SUV not only "knocked away" the 8 - ton truck but even knocked off the truck's front end. However, this video did not achieve the expected effect. Instead, it made netizens question the fairness of the test. Some even suggested that the two company bosses drive their own cars and have a head - on collision again, and the winner would acquire the loser's company.

In addition, the high price and three configurations of the i8 also limit users' choices. The Li Auto i8 comes in three versions: Pro, Max, and Ultra, with prices of 321,800 yuan, 349,800 yuan, and 369,800 yuan respectively. For a long time, many car enthusiasts have joked that "refrigerators, TVs, and big sofas" are Li Auto's core competitiveness. However, the entry - level Pro model has a "reduced" configuration, without a refrigerator and a TV, increasing the difficulty for users to make a choice.

What's even more unacceptable to users is that those who placed pre - orders did not get any extra benefits. They just got their cars a little earlier than those who ordered later. Due to these multiple factors, the market performance of the i8 has been a bit sluggish, and Li Auto rarely did not release sales reports immediately.

In contrast, LeDao, which is in a do - or - die situation, shows more sincerity with the LeDao L90. Especially with the BasS battery - leasing plan, the starting price is as low as 179,800 yuan, while offering "standard equipment across all models". In particular, the large trunk and the additional frunk further enhance its practicality and convenience for family trips. With a price difference of about 150,000 yuan, the LeDao L90 offers excellent cost - performance.

LeDao L90 (top) and Li Auto i8

A new - force car owner in Zhejiang said that if you don't consider intelligent driving, the LeDao L90 offers great cost - performance, and even the third - row seats are very comfortable. Another owner believes that the full - size LeDao L90 has a more imposing appearance, which suits the aesthetic taste of Chinese people, while the i8 looks like an MPV but is smaller in size.

When the reporter from "BaoBian" visited several LeDao and Li Auto stores in Zhejiang, it was found that both the L90 and the i8 feature a homey and comfortable interior with a good sense of luxury. Judging from the number of onlookers in the stores, the LeDao L90 is a bit more popular than the i8. As the "Golden September and Silver October" car - buying season approaches, these two models will face real market tests.

02 Who Will Stand Out?

In recent years, the "three - row" models have been booming. In addition to Tesla, LeDao, and Li Auto, which have recently launched new models, car companies such as Denza, BYD, Zeekr, and NIO have already introduced 6 - 7 - seat MPVs or SUVs.

For established car companies like BYD and Geely, which have larger production and sales volumes, the "three - row" models are just an added bonus. In July, BYD's total sales exceeded 340,000 vehicles, while the sales of its commercial model "Xia" were less than 5,600. Zeekr Technology sold over 44,000 vehicles, with less than 2,000 of its MPV Zeekr 009 being sold.

However, for LeDao and Li Auto, the L90 and the i8 are more like crucial products for a last - ditch effort. In recent years, NIO has been struggling with losses and poor sales. LeDao plays the role of NIO's brand expansion to the mass market, adopting a high - cost - performance strategy to boost NIO's overall sales. In the first half of this year, NIO's total deliveries were less than 120,000 vehicles. Although the year - on - year growth was over 30%, there is still a long way to reach the annual delivery target.

In 2025, NIO set "making a profit in the fourth quarter, achieving annual sales of 440,000 vehicles, and reducing costs and increasing efficiency" as its core business goals. To achieve the sales target in the second half of the year, the more affordable LeDao brand has to take the lead. In NIO's plan, the LeDao brand is expected to contribute over 200,000 vehicle sales this year. This explains LeDao L90's "low - price, high - configuration" strategy.

Some users believe that the popularity of the LeDao L90 is based on a simple principle: big and cheap. After the LeDao L90 press conference, Xia Qinghua, the vice - president of LeDao, posted on his WeChat Moments, "I've been with NIO for ten years and have seen many situations where the app got stuck, but it's the first time the sales system has been overwhelmed! The LeDao L90 has really made a mark this time!"

For Li Auto, the i8 plays the role of expanding its pure - electric vehicle sales. Li Auto started with extended - range models. After its "refrigerators, TVs, and big sofas" were imitated by competitors, pure - electric models have become a new growth point. However, Li Auto's first pure - electric model, the MEGA, had poor sales after its release due to controversial styling, and it seems that the i8 is in a similar situation.

On the afternoon of August 7th, Li Xiang posted a video on social media, saying that the launches of the L9, MEGA, and i8 have all been targeted by negative online campaigns, with a large number of public - opinion incidents, which are allegedly being manipulated by different brands. "This time, we know which brand is behind it. Professional online - troll agencies have hidden their tracks very well, but we don't want to stoop to their level. If we do, they'll win completely," Li Xiang said.

According to the data from the Passenger Car Association, Li Auto's sales in July were about 30,000 vehicles, a year - on - year decline of nearly 40%. According to statistics from Qiyan Data, in the week from July 28th to August 3rd, the sales of the Li Auto i8 were only 190. Facing this unfavorable start, Li Auto quickly adjusted its strategy. On August 5th, Li Auto announced that the i8 would be adjusted from three configurations to one version, with a unified price of 339,800 yuan, aiming to achieve "standard equipment is top - level equipment". However, some features such as the rear - seat entertainment screen and streaming - media rear - view mirror still require additional payment.

Li Xiang attributed this adjustment to "listening to customers' advice". Currently, there are about 30,000 small - order users for the i8. "Users who have placed real - money orders have told us what configurations they like and what price is reasonable. We just meet their needs," Li Xiang said.

The outside world often regards NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto as representatives of new car - making forces. The change in sales directly determines their rankings and reputations. When XPeng made a comeback and became the sales champion among the "Wei Xia Li" trio, the performance of the LeDao L90 and the Li Auto i8 will also affect the overall performance of NIO and Li Auto.

03 Is it a Market Opportunity or a False Demand?

With car companies rushing to launch "three - row" SUVs, how big is the real market?

The reporter from "BaoBian" randomly surveyed several users and found that there are two main reasons for buying "three - row" SUVs. One is for two - child families, as they need a more spacious and comfortable riding environment for daily outings. The other is for self - driving tour and camping enthusiasts. After folding down the third - row seats, they can get a large luggage space and it's also convenient to sleep in the car overnight.

In contrast, although MPVs have an advantage in space, they are bulkier and lack the fun of driving. At the same time, pure - electric vehicles generally focus more on intelligent driving experience, which can free drivers from long - distance driving and reduce traffic accidents caused by fatigue driving. A two - child new - force car owner in Zhejiang said that he has been paying attention to the pure - electric version of the AITO M8 since last year, specifically for the combination of large space, pure - electric power, and intelligent driving.

However, due to their larger size and higher configuration, the prices of "three - row" pure - electric SUVs are not low, which limits their sales to some extent. According to the statistics from the China Automobile Dealers Association, in the first half of this year, the total sales of SUVs priced over 300,000 yuan were about 678,000, accounting for 6% of the total automobile sales during the same period. If we exclude fuel - powered and hybrid vehicles, the average sales of pure - electric vehicles are less than 30,000. With a limited market capacity, each car company gets a smaller share of the market.

In addition, the "three - row" pure - electric SUVs also face market pressure from hybrid models. According to the data from Dongchedi, in June, among the top 8 best - selling 6 - seat new - energy SUVs, 7 were mainly extended - range or plug - in hybrid models. For example, the AITO M8 sold over 21,000 vehicles in June, while the sales of the NIO ES8, which has a similar price, were less than 900 during the same period.

The sales ranking of 6 - seat new - energy SUVs according to Dongchedi

Compared with ordinary electric vehicles, NIO's battery - swappable models have less range anxiety, but they still can't outsell hybrid models, which also shows that it's not easy to change consumers' consumption habits overnight.

As car companies' competition extends from the 5 - seat market to the "three - row" market segment, the intensity of market competition is increasing. For consumers, this not only allows them to enjoy the benefits of technological progress but also gives them more options and bargaining power when buying a car.

This article is from the WeChat official account "BaoBian". Author: Chen Fashan, Editor: Liu Yang. Republished by 36Kr with permission.