72 hours after the launch of Li Auto i6: Competing with Tesla and Xiaomi in the young market

What kind of car can you buy with 239,800 yuan?

In the highly competitive pure - electric SUV market in 2025, this price can get you a well - rounded vehicle with standard dual - chamber air suspension, a refrigerator with both cooling and heating functions, and urban assisted driving features.

Li Auto redefined the "cost - effectiveness" of the five - seat SUV market with the i6. Moreover, within three days, it attracted a group that Li Auto rarely targeted before: childless families and single young people.

After the launch of the i6, Li Auto stores experienced a long - awaited busy pace. On the day of the press conference, the test - drive cars were in constant use. Front - line salespeople's phones kept popping up with order - locking reminders, and the vehicle pick - up period on the APP had been extended to more than two months later.

"The customers who come to see the i6 are completely different from those of the previous L series and the i8," a front - line salesperson told 36Kr. "They are younger, make decisions faster, do thorough research before entering the store, and often compare it with Tesla and Xiaomi."

Alongside the debut of the Li Auto i6, Yi Yangqianxi, the first brand ambassador of Li Auto, also made an appearance. By choosing such a young artist, Li Auto hopes to more directly convey its intention of brand rejuvenation.

Judging from the market response to the i6, Li Auto's attempt is starting to pay off.

On - site at the Stores: The Li Auto i6 Is Targeted at Young People

After visiting multiple Li Auto stores in Beijing and Shenzhen, 36Kr found that almost every salesperson in Beijing had secured 10 order - locked deals, and the number was even higher in Shenzhen.

"Before the launch of the i6, the i8 was the main model promoted in the store. At that time, we faced great sales pressure. The regional management even set a goal of 20 orders per store per week for us," a salesperson from a Beijing store told 36Kr. "Consumers' enthusiasm for the i6 is extremely high. Even before the press conference started, the current test - drive schedules were already fully booked."

Three days after the new car was launched, the test - drive cars in Li Auto stores hardly stopped. On the Li Auto APP, the vehicle pick - up period for order - locked users has been scheduled for 9 - 11 weeks.

Many front - line salespeople told 36Kr that compared with previous models launched by Li Auto, the proportion of "childless families" and "single people" among the consumers of the i6 is significantly higher, and they are also more efficient in car - viewing, placing orders, and locking orders.

"On the one hand, due to the vehicle purchase tax, customers emphasize that they must pick up the car within this year. On the other hand, before looking at the i6, most customers have already checked out the Tesla Model Y and the Xiaomi YU7. There are even many small - order users of the Xiaomi YU7 who have transferred their orders."

Facing two sales - champion - level models, why has the Li Auto i6 attracted so many users' attention? Almost all front - line salespeople's answers are "price" and "cost - effectiveness."

The unified price of the Li Auto i6 is 249,800 yuan. However, customers who place an order before October 31 can enjoy a discount of 10,000 yuan. Moreover, the dual - chamber air suspension with an optional price of 15,000 yuan, the refrigerator with both cooling and heating functions priced at 5,000 yuan, and the power - operated doors priced at 5,000 yuan will all be given away for free.

In other words, with 239,800 yuan, consumers can buy a five - seat pure - electric SUV with air suspension, a refrigerator, comfortable seats, assisted driving, and a large interior space.

The Tesla Model Y, which starts at 263,500 yuan, has little competitiveness in terms of price and configuration. On the Xiaomi YU7, only the Pro version priced at 279,900 yuan is equipped with air suspension, and the power - operated doors are only available in the Max top - end version priced at 329,900 yuan.

"Also, an interesting point is that the Li Auto i6 is one of the few models in the same class that is equipped with an electric sunshade for the panoramic sunroof and manual sunshades for the side windows," many front - line salespeople told 36Kr. "Tesla and Xiaomi are perceived as avant - garde and cool by users, but they think Li Auto provides better human - centered care."

Young users have a better understanding and acceptance of pure - electric vehicles, which also means they are more aware of the pain points of using pure - electric vehicles. "Most other cars in the same class emphasize individuality, but the Li Auto i6 focuses on comfort and care."

The i6 Challenges the Five - Seat SUV Market with Brand Power and Cost - Effectiveness

Li Auto has always positioned itself as a family - oriented brand, and most of its previous products have also targeted family users.

In July this year, Li Auto launched the six - seat pure - electric SUV i8. Similar to the L series, the i8 was initially launched in three versions, differentiated in terms of assisted driving, entertainment screens, etc. However, within just one week, Li Auto readjusted the configuration and sold it as a single version with standard assisted driving.

Judging from the weekly sales volume announced in September, the weekly delivery volume of the Li Auto i8 was around 1,000 units. Meanwhile, the conversion rate of front - line salespeople was not high, and the regional management kept putting pressure on i8 orders. The sales performance of the Li Auto i8 doesn't seem to be ideal.

In 2025, the six - seat SUV market witnessed the most intense competition in the automotive industry.

Li Auto, which holds the largest share in the family market, launched the i8 with a price of 339,800 yuan.

The NIO brand launched two products. The LeDao L90, with a starting price of 265,800 yuan for the whole vehicle and 179,800 yuan after the battery - leasing plan, now has a monthly sales volume of over 10,000 units. The NIO ES8, priced at 406,800 yuan for the whole vehicle and starting at 299,800 yuan after the battery - leasing plan, also has comparable product strength to Li Auto, with a refrigerator and a large - screen TV equipped. At the same time, there are the Wenjie M8 and the Geely Zeekr 9X, which have monthly sales of over 20,000 units and are positioned at a higher level. Tesla, the sales champion in the SUV market, also launched the six - seat Model YL.

These competitors have their own unique advantages brought by their respective brands on top of the standard refrigerator, large - screen TV, and comfortable seats. In comparison, the configuration and price of the Li Auto i8 are not that outstanding.

Is the young market for five - seat SUVs a blue ocean? The competition in this segment will only be more intense.

The Tesla Model Y has had annual sales of over 400,000 units in China for many consecutive years, firmly holding the top position in the Chinese market and having a wide - spread market influence. Three minutes after the launch of the Xiaomi YU7, the number of small - orders exceeded 200,000, and the longest delivery period has reached 48 weeks (one year) later.

Brands such as Wenjie, Zhijie, IM, and Avatr have all tried to enter this niche market but failed to break through. For young people, it seems that brand, appearance, and handling are the key factors.

Why does Li Auto want to enter the young market?

A person from Li Auto told 36Kr that the L6 was an important model that marked a turning point within the company. Internal research found that there were many single people and childless families among the L6 owners.

"We conducted a detailed research on these users and made many targeted adjustments when developing the i6," the person said. "Although both the L series and the i6 are equipped with air suspension, the L series focuses on comfort, while the i6 leans more towards driving control. We hope the i6 can meet the taste of young people."

A salesperson told 36Kr that the relatively high - end L series has established a strong reputation for Li Auto, which has also given Li Auto a certain brand influence among young people.

In other words, the popularity of the Li Auto i6 stems from Li Auto's brand influence and the i6's cost - effectiveness. This formula also applies to other popular models. However, the cost - effectiveness of the Xiaomi YU7 lies in its equal - access exterior design, while the cost - effectiveness of the Li Auto i6 lies in its equal - access comfort. And brand + appearance/comfort are exactly the main supporting factors for automobile consumption in the young market.

From the endorsement of Yi Yangqianxi to the real - world market response to the Li Auto i6, Li Auto is trying to break free from the single label of a "dad - car."

This strategic shift is not a blind follow - up but an inevitable choice for the brand to explore a "second growth curve" under the real - world pressure of sluggish growth in the extended - range electric vehicle market and a fixed user profile.

Li Auto needs to find new survival space in the increasingly competitive pure - electric red ocean through diversified upgrades in product definition and brand communication.