Within 72 hours after the launch of the Li Auto i6, customers are comparing it with Tesla and Xiaomi.

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 equipped with dual - chamber air suspension, a refrigerated and heated refrigerator, and urban assisted driving as standard.

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

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

"The customers who come to see the Li i6 are completely different from those of the previous L series and Li 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 i6, Li Auto also introduced its first brand ambassador, Jackson Yee. By choosing such a young artist, Li Auto hopes to more directly convey its intention to rejuvenate the brand.

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

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

36Kr visited several Li Auto stores in Beijing and Shenzhen and 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 Li i6, the Li 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 are extremely enthusiastic about the Li i6. Even before the product launch, the current test - drive schedules were already fully booked."

Three days after the new car's launch, the test - drive cars in Li Auto stores hardly stopped. On the Li Auto APP, the delivery time 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 individuals" among the consumers of the Li 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 policy, customers emphasize that they must take delivery of the car this year. On the other hand, before coming to see the Li 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 switched their orders."

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

The unified price of the Li 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 refrigerated and heated refrigerator worth 5,000 yuan, and the power - operated doors worth 5,000 yuan will all be given for free.

That is to say, 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 on the Max top - end version priced at 329,900 yuan.

"Also, an interesting point is that the Li i6 is one of the few models in its class 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 shows more humanistic 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 such vehicles. "Most other cars in the same class emphasize individuality, but the Li i6 focuses on comfort and care."

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

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 Li i8. Similar to the L series, the Li i8 was initially available 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 - equipped assisted driving.

According to the weekly sales data released in September, the weekly delivery volume of the Li 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 Li i8 orders. The sales performance of the Li i8 doesn't seem to be ideal.

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

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

The NIO brand launched two products. The LeDao L90, starting at 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 matches Li Auto in terms of product features, being equipped with a refrigerator and a large - screen TV. At the same time, there are the Wenjie M8 and Geely Zeekr 9X, which sell over 20,000 units per month, and Tesla, the sales champion in the SUV market, also launched the six - seat Model YL.

These competitors, on top of having a refrigerator, a large - screen TV, and comfortable seats, also have unique advantages brought by their respective brands. In comparison, the configuration and price of the Li 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 sold over 400,000 units annually in China for many consecutive years, firmly holding the top position in the Chinese market and having a wide - reaching market influence. Three minutes after the launch of the Xiaomi YU7, the number of small - orders exceeded 200,000, and the longest delivery time has reached 48 weeks (one year) later.

Brands such as Wenjie, Zhijie, IM, and Avatr have all made attempts in 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 Li L6 was an important turning - point model within the company. Internal research found that there were many single individuals and childless families among the owners of the Li L6.

"We conducted in - depth research on these users and made many targeted adjustments when developing the Li i6. "Although both use air suspension, the L series focuses on comfort, while the Li i6 is more oriented towards driving control. We hope the Li i6 can meet the tastes of young people when driving."

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

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

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

This strategic shift is not a blind following of trends. Instead, it is an inevitable choice for the brand to explore a "second growth curve" under the real - world pressure of slow growth in the extended - range market and a fixed user profile.

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