When the i6 was launched last year, Li Auto set a target for it: to rank among the top three in sales of all-electric mid-to-large SUVs priced between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan. More than a year later, Li Auto Chairman Li Xiang said he hopes the i6 will become Li Auto's best-selling model globally.
On the evening of October 28, the 2026 Li Auto i6 was officially launched with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of 249,800 yuan, and a limited-time early-sales benefit price of 239,800 yuan. The new car comes in only one version and features a new-generation electric and intelligent platform. This five-seat all-electric SUV, which has already established a sales base, needs to sustain its popularity after the facelift and support Li Auto's sales over the coming year.
Li Auto has also prepared to speed up deliveries. The limited number of quasi-ready vehicles offered this time are expected to be delivered in as little as one to two weeks; customized new cars will enter production after order confirmation, with deliveries starting three weeks later. With only just over two months left before the end of the year, the sooner the new car reaches users, the more time this facelift has to contribute to sales within the year.
In the second quarter of this year, Li Auto's gross margin had already improved quarter-on-quarter. The company hopes to restore profitability by increasing the proportion of higher-trim models, refreshing its all-electric products, and improving operational efficiency. The i6 has a sales foundation, but restoring profitability will require more models working together. Li Auto continues to invest in this volume-driving car and must also preserve the user recognition it has already gained.
According to data disclosed by Li Xiang, the i6 has delivered nearly 200,000 units in more than a year since its launch. But the model's strong performance has not yet brought Li Auto as a whole back to growth. According to CnEVPost data, Li Auto delivered 293,400 vehicles in the first three quarters of this year, down 1.25% year-on-year.
Before this upgrade, Li Auto had made a specific product trade-off internally. Li Xiang's requirements for this mainstay model were very clear. He had previously stopped the team from downgrading the i6's specifications: size and luxury equipment could differ by trim, but safety, the electric powertrain, and intelligence should follow the same standards. "The most popular product should receive the best treatment."
In this facelift, the i6 is equipped with a 96 kWh Lianshan 5C battery and a new-generation intelligent platform. The rear-wheel-drive version has a CLTC range of 780 kilometers, while the four-wheel-drive version has a CLTC range of 710 kilometers. Demands that users repeatedly raised over the past year, such as an electric front trunk, have also been addressed in the new car. This feedback has given Li Auto a concrete direction for continuing to improve the model.
This is tied to Li Auto taking on more in-house development work. Li Auto President Ma Donghui previously said that research and development costs used to be included in supplier quotations, but now Li Auto needs to bear them itself. The M100 chip, developed by Mahuang, has been used from the L8 and L6 to the i6, spanning extended-range and all-electric models, allowing multiple vehicles to share technology. With R&D investment spread across more models, the i6 can also continue to improve as the platform updates. The more stable this car's sales are, the stronger the foundation for Li Auto's in-house technology operations will be.
In early October, Li Xiang also mentioned that people had previously suggested Li Auto build sports cars, pickups, and recreational vehicles, but the team ultimately did none of them. His reason was limited capability and energy, and the need to first do well in the area of user value it is best at. Amid growth pressure, Li Auto continues to choose to focus on family cars. The i6 already has a sales foundation; the next step is to keep building along this product line and then seek new markets.
Europe is the i6's next destination. Li Auto first opened the market in China with extended-range SUVs, but in Europe it chose to start with five-seat all-electric cars. Although the powertrain format has changed, what Li Xiang values remains family needs. He previously explained that old European city roads are narrow, parking space is limited, and there is demand for cross-border long-distance travel, so he is optimistic about the i6's size, space, and intelligent features.
What Li Auto brings over is not simply an unchanged domestic version. The European version, Li 6, has a retuned chassis, and its software connects to local navigation and CarPlay; after-sales support systems such as a regional parts distribution center in the Netherlands are planned to open in December this year. Selling nearly 200,000 units in China can help Li Auto judge whether the product is attractive, but whether overseas users can gain an equally smooth experience still has to be rebuilt locally.
According to the plan announced at the Paris Motor Show, the Li 6 will first begin sales and deliveries in the Netherlands and Norway in the first quarter of 2027, later than the fourth quarter of this year previously mentioned. The European market has not yet generated sales, and Li Auto's immediate operational improvement still needs domestic products to deliver.
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