When giants clash, a competitor for the Li L6 has emerged. Will the AITO M6 replicate the popularity of the M8?
The Electric Vehicle Express team walked tens of thousands of steps to visit this year's Guangzhou Auto Show. To be honest, the novelty of this auto show is even less than that of some "preview models" that haven't been officially released but have sparked discussions online.
According to a report from "LatePost Auto", AITO will have a series of product actions next year: in addition to the facelift of the AITO M9, it will also launch the all - new models M9L and AITO M6. The report further points out that the AITO M6 is expected to be launched in the second quarter of next year, and it is clearly stated that "it will not replace the AITO M5".
It should be noted that the report has been deleted, and the relevant information was not released through official channels, so its authenticity still needs further verification.
Screenshot: LatePost Auto WeChat official account
However, about a week ago, spy photos of the suspected AITO M6 during road tests were exposed. Its body size is between that of the AITO M7 and the AITO M5. The purpose of this new SUV is obvious, which is to fill the market gap between the two. We can get a preliminary impression of the vehicle's price, technology, and configuration by referring to the AITO M7 and the AITO M5.
Improving the product line is a common practice for car companies after they become stronger.
The debut of the AITO M6 means that AITO has finally played the "straight flush" of "5, 6, 7, 8, 9". However, the real suspense in this game is: will the M6 "dominate" the market or "involve" its sibling models? Caught between the price ranges of the M5 and the M7, can it avoid self - competition and truly become another "national god - car" under the AITO brand?
AITO M6 vs. Li L6: A Hidden Danger in the 50,000 - Yuan Price Gap
Last year, there was no obvious price gap between the 2024 AITO M5 and the AITO M7. Instead, there was a high degree of overlap (the M7 was priced from 249,800 to 329,800 yuan, and the M5 was priced from 249,800 to 279,800 yuan). Facing such a tight price range, the official mainly differentiated them through positioning: the M7 focuses on family comfort, while the M5 emphasizes sports handling.
Given that users who focus on family travel dominate the domestic car market, the sales volume of the AITO M7 has always been higher than that of the AITO M5.
Since this year, AITO seems to intend to reshape the market positioning of these two models.
Image source: Shot by Electric Vehicle Express
The most obvious signal comes from the price: the starting price of the 2026 AITO M7 has been set at 299,800 yuan, while the top - end price of the 2025 AITO M5 is anchored at 249,800 yuan. A 50,000 - yuan price gap has been "forcefully" created between them.
The core purpose of this move is to pave the way for the launch of the AITO M6 in advance, allowing it to take on the positioning of a "250,000 - yuan - class family SUV" and pick up the "relay baton" from the previous M7 in competing with the Li L6.
Therefore, the product strategy of the AITO M6 is clear enough: focus on the 250,000 - yuan - class family SUV market, offer both extended - range and pure - electric versions, and be equipped with Huawei's Kunpeng intelligent vehicle solutions and comfort features such as zero - gravity seats.
Undoubtedly, the Li L6, which starts at 249,800 yuan, is the most direct competitor of the AITO M6.
The 2024 AITO M7 played a key role in competing with the Li L6 that year. Both focused on the positioning of "five - seat + extended - range + family use" and engaged in a close - range battle in this niche market.
The annual sales data for 2024 shows that the AITO M7 had a cumulative sales volume of 193,342 units, slightly higher than the Li L6's 192,257 units.
Although it seems that the AITO M7 just outperformed the Li L6, it should be noted that the Li L6 was officially launched at the Shanghai Auto Show last year, and there were no delivery data in the entire first quarter. The actual effective competition period was shorter than that of the M7.
This potential competitive pressure has prompted AITO to re - examine the layout and rhythm of its product line.
Image source: Shot by Electric Vehicle Express
According to the latest sales data, the AITO M7 sold 16,071 units in October, while the Li L6 sold 9,680 units. Adding the 5,775 units of the Li i6, the sales gap between the two is still not significant.
It can be predicted that the competition between AITO and Li Auto will continue for a long time. In the 250,000 - yuan - class SUV niche market, the AITO M6 will officially take over and compete head - on with the Li L6 for the market.
After several years of development, AITO and Li Auto have a good understanding of the usage scenarios of family SUV users. Even if one party develops a differential advantage, the other party will follow up in time, making it difficult to maintain a long - term gap.
Therefore, future competition will no longer be a confrontation of single product features but a comprehensive competition of systematic capabilities.
On the one hand, the intelligent experience has become the cornerstone of sales. Huawei's Kunpeng intelligent driving and Hongmeng cockpit ecosystem have always been AITO's traditional strengths, while Li Auto is also continuously investing in self - research, such as the 'Li Auto Buddy' intelligent agent and VLA driver assistance technology. The key lies in who can transform technology into the most perceptible and stable experience for users in daily driving.
On the other hand, brand image needs to be differentiated. Relying on Huawei's technological endorsement, AITO has successfully established an image of a "technology leader", which has attracted not only family users but also many consumers who pursue cutting - edge technology. In contrast, although Li Auto's concept of a "mobile home" is precisely positioned, it is slightly inferior in creating a sense of technology and a pioneer image.
Image source: AITO official
This advantage is also directly reflected in the high - end market: the sales performance of the AITO M7, M8, and M9 at their respective price ranges is generally better than that of Li Auto's L - series models at the same price levels. Currently, only the Li L6 of Li Auto has a strong performance, and the risk - resistance ability and market depth of its product lineup are being tested.
In other words, the AITO M6 can indeed pose strong competitive pressure on the Li L6 in the 250,000 - yuan - class market with its intelligent experience and brand image. However, to finally win in this evenly - matched competition, AITO needs to answer a deeper question: when Huawei's technology is no longer an exclusive secret, what is the ultimate moat of the AITO M6?
Ace in the Hole for AITO M6
If we look at the market environment from the perspective of the entire "Hongmeng Smart Mobility" ecosystem, the market situation faced by the AITO M6 is very different from that of the AITO M7 back then, and it may be difficult to simply replicate the success path of the M7.
The core reason is that current consumers are becoming more practical and rational. They recognize the value of Huawei's technology and are willing to pay for the smooth experience of the Hongmeng cockpit, the stable performance of Huawei's intelligent driving, and the solid feel of the Tulin chassis. At the same time, they also realize that "Huawei's technology" does not mean "exclusive to AITO".
Now, there are far more brands equipped with Huawei's intelligent vehicle solutions than the "Four Realms" under Hongmeng Smart Mobility. In addition, brands such as the upcoming "Jing" series, GAC Trumpchi's "Xiangwang" series, Avatr, Deepal, Voyah, and Fangchengbao will also cooperate with Huawei on technology at different levels and depths next year.
Image source: Shot by Electric Vehicle Express
Specifically in the highly competitive 250,000 - yuan - class SUV market, models such as the Zhijie R7, Avatr 07, and Voyah FREE+ are all equipped with Huawei's relevant core technologies. This means that the AITO M6 is facing a battlefield where the technological differential advantage has been greatly diluted.
More importantly, Huawei's "tech - luxury" label can provide sufficient brand premium in the high - end market above 300,000 yuan. However, for family users in the 250,000 - yuan - class market, they value practical attributes closely related to actual vehicle - using scenarios: the comfort of the second - row seats, whether the trunk can easily accommodate a baby stroller and the whole family's luggage, whether there are convenient child safety seat interfaces, and the stability of range and fuel consumption.
These seemingly insignificant details are precisely the key to whether they will make a purchase.
Looking back at the market performance of Hongmeng Smart Mobility, the sales data of the AITO M5 and the Shangjie H5, which target the SUV market under 250,000 yuan, in October (2,787 units for the former and 6,284 units for the latter) are not outstanding.
Especially for the Shangjie H5, the achievement of delivering over 10,000 units in 43 days after its launch is in sharp contrast to the over 160,000 small - order bookings during the pre - sale period. According to a report from "Leifeng.com", the senior management of Shangjie had set a target of delivering 50,000 - 80,000 units in the first month and required it to top the sales list. Obviously, the market performance of the Shangjie H5 is far from the official expectation.
However, the Electric Vehicle Express still has a cautiously optimistic attitude towards the market prospect of the AITO M6. This optimism is not based on Huawei's technology but on a more realistic judgment: The AITO brand is currently the "realm" with the strongest production and sales capabilities within the Hongmeng Smart Mobility system.
Image source: AITO official
Remember, in order to handle the orders for the AITO M8 (the orders exceeded 50,000 in 4 days after its launch), AITO's supply chain system was able to support a rapid increase in production capacity. In June, it achieved a monthly delivery of over 21,000 units, and there were still over 70,000 back - orders at that time. Such order - digestion ability is comparable to that of traditional large - scale manufacturers.
In a market where competition is becoming more homogeneous, reliable production capacity, a mature supply chain, and efficient delivery experience are themselves a scarce and perceptible hard power. As long as the AITO M6 can rely on this systematic advantage to ensure the fulfillment of configurations and delivery efficiency, it is expected to break through the encirclement with the multiple blessings of "Huawei's technological endorsement + practical attributes + delivery guarantee".
Conclusion
Now, new - energy vehicle startups have been releasing their heavy - weight products at large - scale international auto shows in the second quarter, leveraging the traffic and communication potential of the shows to maximize the duration and effectiveness of product promotion and seize the core voice in the annual market.
AITO's expectation for the AITO M6 is surely to replicate the market popularity of the AITO M8. After all, the AITO M8 broke the pattern of the high - end SUV market with its strategy of "more affordable tech - luxury" and quickly topped the sales list of large - scale SUVs. AITO clearly hopes that the M6 can continue this logic and replicate this success formula in the 250,000 - yuan - class compact SUV market, becoming the "traffic magnet" of the brand in the mainstream market.
Image source: Shot by Electric Vehicle Express
As mentioned above, the AITO M6 comes with core family advantages such as Hongmeng Smart Connect and Huawei's intelligent driving, and can also leverage the market reputation accumulated by the AITO M7. It is truly "born with a silver spoon in its mouth". However, the 250,000 - yuan - class SUV market is already a red - ocean market with fierce competition: in addition to the Li L6, competitors such as the Tesla Model Y, Xiaomi YU7, and LeDao L90 have built their competitiveness from different dimensions, raising the consumer's choice threshold to a new high.
When the competition in this niche market reaches a white