Not following the low-price route, the Li L6 is priced at 249,800 yuan. Li Xiang: I hope it becomes the "third option" for five-seater SUVs.
On September 26, Li Auto's second all - electric SUV, the Li i6, was launched. It is available in only one configuration and is priced at 249,800 yuan. Regarding the price of the vehicle, Li Auto stated, "The Li i6 does not follow a low - price strategy."
The launch of the Li i6 shows obvious differences compared with Li Auto's previous new car launches. On the one hand, the new car skipped the pre - order stage and was directly launched. On the other hand, different from the previous emphasis on the "family" concept, this launch event emphasized that the Li i6 is a vehicle designed for young people.
"The 'new - form' Li i6 focuses on the self - expression of the younger generation, shifting from 'the car defines the person' to 'using the car to express oneself'. It not only solves the pain points of young users' travel but also understands their travel desires," said Li Xiang, the chairman and CEO of Li Auto.
Li Auto's "Cheapest" All - Electric Model
In terms of price, the Li i6 is currently the lowest - priced all - electric model among Li Auto's products on sale. This is partly because the vehicle's size and positioning are lower than those of the Li i8 and Li MEGA. On the other hand, it benefits from the use of lower - cost lithium iron phosphate batteries, which allows the starting price to be lowered below 250,000 yuan.
"The technology of lithium iron phosphate batteries is now very mature. The Tesla Model Y and Xiaomi YU7, which are equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries, are both best - selling models. The Li i6 is equipped with a new lithium iron phosphate battery, with a CLTC range of 720 kilometers and a range of 500 kilometers after a 10 - minute fast charge," Li Xiang introduced.
It is reported that lithium iron phosphate batteries have certain gaps compared with ternary lithium batteries in terms of service life, cold resistance, and range. However, Li Auto has compensated for these problems through technology.
While reducing costs through technology, the Li i6 also enhances its competitiveness by standardizing AD (Assisted Driving) Max. Li Xiang said that the new car will come standard with this intelligent assisted driving function, and the usage fee will be permanently waived. He believes that "advanced assisted driving must be available, and the usage fee should not be charged."
"People say that the first half of the new - energy vehicle era is about electrification, and the second half is about intelligence. At present, the key benefit point of intelligence is advanced assisted driving, and in the future, it will be autonomous driving. However, many advanced assisted driving systems currently require consumers to pay an additional usage fee, and the price is quite high, resulting in many consumers not fully experiencing the convenience of the latest intelligent technologies in vehicle use," Li Xiang further explained. "As the Li VLA (Vision - Language - Action) driver large model continues to iterate, more people will recognize Li AD Max."
In addition, Li Xiang believes that the space and interior of the Li i6 are also the keys that distinguish it from other products. "On July 29, the company announced that the brand had entered the third stage of development, and the core concept was upgraded from 'Family' to 'Home'. A'mobile home' should be a high - quality, sophisticated, and relaxing private space. The five - seat SUV market is large, and we hope that the Li i6 can become the 'third choice' for five - seat SUVs with its 'Home feeling'," Li Xiang said.
Image source: Provided by the enterprise
Huayuan Securities stated that in terms of the competitive landscape, currently in the same price range, the main strong competitors of the Li i6 are the Tesla Model Y and Xiaomi YU7. The Li i6 has certain advantages in terms of space, fast charging, and intelligent driving.
It is worth mentioning that similar to the adjusted Li i8, the Li i6 is only available in one model this time. The official said, "The Li i6 comes in one configuration and one price. The standard configuration is the top - end configuration."
"We will definitely reduce the number of SKUs (Stock Keeping Unit) and return to the era of the Li ONE and L9, where each car has one configuration developed to the extreme, providing users with the strongest product strength and cost - performance ratio," Li Xiang said at the earnings conference call in the second quarter of this year.
In addition, the Li i6 also offers many personalized optional configurations, such as dual - motor four - wheel drive and a 21.4 - inch 3K second - row screen. In the view of industry insiders, Li Auto's move is to expand the price range of the Li i6 and connect it with the Li i8 (starting price of 339,800 yuan) in terms of price. Just before the launch of the Li i6, Li Xiang said on social media, "I'll reply to everyone uniformly: There is no 'Li i7' model. Please don't wait for it."
"Monthly Sales Target: 9,000 to 10,000 Units"
Industry insiders believe that the arrival of the Li i6 is crucial for Li Auto, which is under pressure in terms of sales and performance. It is not only a key player in Li Auto's all - electric track but also shoulders the heavy responsibility of further boosting Li Auto's sales. Morgan Stanley even said bluntly that "the Li i6 is a 'life - and - death battle' for Li Auto."
Regarding the sales forecast of the Li i6, Li Xiang said, "2025 is the first year for Li Auto to officially enter the all - electric SUV track. My inner goal is that by the end of this year, we can 'guarantee the fifth place and strive for the third place' in the high - end all - electric track. The target for the Li i6 is to sell 9,000 to 10,000 units per month. Including the Li i8 and Li MEGA, the overall target for Li Auto's all - electric models is expected to stabilize at 18,000 to 20,000 units per month."
The reporter learned that to prepare for the launch of the i6, Li Auto has done sufficient "preparatory work". The availability and readiness of test - drive vehicles are significantly better than those during the launch of the Li i8. "Each salesperson has made an appointment with customers for test - drive times. Test - drive appointments can be made at 16:00 on September 26, and the earliest delivery can be made the next day after the launch," a person familiar with the matter told the reporter. "The Li i6 was launched on a Friday because the following weekend can attract more users to visit the cars."
It is worth mentioning that for the launch of the Li i6, Li Auto has appointed its first brand spokesperson, aiming to help the Li i6 quickly break through the circle with the spokesperson's influence. "We will adopt a new communication method closer to users when launching the Li i6, making it easier for users to understand the product value and user experience value. The training for the sales, delivery, and service teams will also be more in - depth, giving full play to the advantages of the direct - sales system in user service. Finally, we will also seriously and comprehensively do a good job in public opinion defense," Li Xiang once said.
However, the Li i6 still faces significant challenges. The reason is that the new car has entered a "red ocean within a red ocean". The competition in this niche market is extremely fierce. Zhang Yongwei, the secretary - general of the China Electric Vehicle 100, once said that "the 200,000 - 300,000 - yuan range will become the most fiercely competitive red ocean in terms of technology and the range with the most concentrated product strength." In this niche market, the Tesla Model Y is an absolute "dominant player". Data from the China Automotive Technology and Research Center shows that in August this year, the Tesla Model Y led by a large margin with sales of 39,000 units, ranking first in the domestic medium - sized SUV market. On the other hand, the Xiaomi YU7 is also a choice that consumers can hardly bypass when considering models in the same price range. At the same time, brands such as Wenjie, NIO, Zeekr, and IM are all vying for a certain share in this niche market.
Within Li Auto, the company is facing the test of running both all - electric and range - extended models in parallel. Especially when the sales of range - extended models are tight, the pressure is more prominent. The latest data shows that Li Auto's sales in the latest week (from September 15 to September 21) were 8,600 units, among which the sales of the Li L6 were 3,000 units, showing a relatively obvious decline compared with the peak sales period.
"The weak sales of the aging L series remain the main problem Li Auto faces. As new range - extended electric models are launched one after another in the second half of the year, the competition will further intensify. This requires Li Auto to launch an upgraded version of the L series as soon as possible," Morgan Stanley said in a research report. In the context of increasingly fierce competition in the new - energy vehicle market, the speed of product replacement is directly related to maintaining market share.
Regarding how Li Auto can get out of the current dilemma, Morgan Stanley believes that it needs to maintain its existing product strategy while quickly rebuilding the market's confidence in its 2026 model cycle. This is not only related to short - term sales performance but also affects the company's long - term layout in the all - electric vehicle market.
This article is from the WeChat official account "NBD Auto". Author: Sun Lei. Republished by 36Kr with permission.