It is time to break free from the cycle of spec sheet competition.
The success of the new generation Li Auto L6 is built on a very simple product logic: to be the king of user experience, not a slave to product specifications.
You must start from the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You cannot start with the technology and then try to figure out where to sell it. This was a resounding statement made by Steve Jobs upon his return to Apple at the 1997 WWDC conference. It not only saved Apple from its low point but also ushered in a golden age of technology, led by the iPod, iPhone, and MacBook Air, where experience was paramount. Fast forward to 2026, this classic assertion on product logic is resonating strongly once again, this time within China's automotive industry.
The first half of 2026 saw the Chinese auto market plunge into an unprecedented frenzy of activity and anxiety. Statistics show that major automakers collectively launched over 600 new models in just six months. At launch events, a barrage of "far ahead" specifications—computing power, range, number of sensors, acceleration times—were endlessly paraded. However, this feverish stacking of specs did not translate into market resonance. Faced with a dazzling array of data, Chinese consumers have moved from initial awe to complete aesthetic fatigue. The latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reveals that overall domestic vehicle sales in the first half of 2026 fell by 21% year-on-year.
This cold statistic reveals a harsh reality: excessive competition on specifications has led most Chinese automakers astray. They have forgotten the original purpose of product creation—technology should not be for showmanship but should serve human experience. When technology is detached from real user scenarios, specifications become nothing more than cold numbers, failing to touch consumers' hearts.
While the entire industry was caught in a vicious cycle of "specification competition," Li Auto maintained its keen insight into user needs. Building on this long-term focus on user experience, the new generation Li Auto L6 was officially launched on July 16th with a nationwide unified retail price of 249,800 yuan. At the launch event, Li Xiang clearly stated his hope that this new vehicle would break free from the industry's unhealthy obsession with specs and return to focusing on user experience, aiming to make the new generation L6 "the undisputed king of experience."
In fact, looking back at Li Auto's development history, it is not difficult to see that each successful leap was essentially achieved by using superior user experience to outmaneuver competitors focused on technical specifications. In the early days, when the industry generally pursued pure electric range figures while ignoring charging anxiety, Li Auto pioneered the extended-range route, directly addressing users' "range anxiety." The integration of a "refrigerator, TV, and sofa" into the vehicle, seemingly a mere feature list, was actually a profound insight into family travel scenarios. The first to introduce a large language model and humanized voice interaction into its vehicles, Li Auto significantly enhanced the smart cockpit experience. Following Li Auto's lead, these technologies and features that greatly improve user experience have almost become industry standards.
Now, as a former HERO CAR, Li Xiang's confidence in making the new generation L6 the king of experience is not built on sand. It is fully supported by a series of mature technologies.
The Return of the HERO CAR
In April 2024, the first-generation Li Auto L6 was officially launched. By then, Li Auto had already consecutively created three extended-range hit models: the Li ONE, L9, and L8/L7. Building on the accumulated dividends of this successful experience, the L6 even became a product where simplification was possible. It was smaller in size, more affordable, yet retained advantages like the extended-range all-wheel-drive system, meeting the most core experience needs of young family users. It was for this reason that the previous generation Li Auto L6 achieved a remarkably high Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 78.5.
As a core metric for measuring user loyalty and satisfaction, the average NPS for Chinese new energy vehicle brands in the second half of 2026 was only 60.9. High recommendation naturally stems from a powerful product experience. Therefore, for the new generation Li Auto L6, Li Xiang hopes its experience can reach an even higher level, stating that "every aspect of the experience must score above 80 points (product NPS), with no weak points."
However, it is well known that it is not particularly difficult for a failing student to pass an exam. But for a top-performing student to further improve their grades is an immensely challenging task. Building upon the already excellent user experience of the previous L6 to further enhance it is no easy feat. But "not easy" does not mean impossible.
First and foremost is the advancement in assisted driving capabilities. Leveraging Li Auto's self-developed Mahe VLA Driver large model and the Mahe M100 data-stream architecture in-vehicle inference chip, the new generation Li Auto L6 achieves vertical integration of software and hardware from algorithms to chips. This promises a qualitative leap in users' assisted driving experience.
In terms of the smart cockpit, the new generation L6's Li Auto Assistant Agent will provide users with more considerate interactive experiences. As a driving assistant, it can adjust the air conditioning, sunshades, seats, and ambient lighting based on the current scene. As a travel assistant, it can filter restaurants and plan long-distance route charging solutions based on complex instructions. As an entertainment assistant, it can find videos based on clips, skip to song choruses, and synchronize with music rhythms.
If the above improvements are considered soft strengths, then the new generation L6's two front-row "full-size" "zero-gravity" seats are undoubtedly the strongest in their class currently, representing a tangible and visible升华 of experience. Even a user 180cm tall can fully stretch out and recline. During lunch breaks at work or while waiting to pick up children from school, the driver and front passenger zero-gravity seats can enter a truly comfortable resting state in their original positions, with free delivery offered during the initial sales period.
As another crucial element in enhancing user experience, the "TV" in the new generation L6 is a 29-inch ultra-wide, borderless panoramic screen with a 6K resolution, 1000 nits brightness, and 99% DCI-P3 cinema-grade wide color gamut. Many readers may lack a tangible sense of what such a screen entails. In reality, the screen prepared for users in the new generation L6 surpasses the specifications of the Apple Studio Display XDR monitor (27-inch, 5K, 1000 nits, P3 wide color gamut), which has a starting price of nearly 25,000 yuan.
Beyond these enhancements, two other areas users widely requested improvements for—the insufficient 200km pure electric range and charging speed—have also been significantly upgraded. Utilizing a series of new self-developed achievements from Li Auto in batteries and fast-charging technology, the new generation Li Auto L6 comes standard with a large 51 kWh battery, offering a CLTC pure electric range of 300 km and a comprehensive range of 1250 km, enabling weekly charging for daily commutes. Regarding charging speed, the new generation L6 boasts a peak charging power of 260 kW, with a 20% to 80% fast charge taking only 12 minutes. Currently, Li Auto has built over 4,100 supercharging stations, forming the largest self-built supercharging network by any automaker. The 51 kWh battery maintains over 80% health after 3,000 full supercharge cycles, equivalent to a driving distance exceeding 500,000 kilometers.
In our view, these AI capabilities, three-electric system technologies, and powerful configurations that can greatly improve user experience are poised to make the new generation Li Auto L6 once again a HERO CAR that resonates with Chinese users.
The Foundation of 400,000 Users Behind the HERO CAR
"Would you buy it yourself?" This was not just Steve Jobs's soul-searching question; it is a golden rule that runs through all exceptional products. The logic behind it is almost simple, yet carries immense weight: if even the creators of a product are unwilling to purchase it, how can it hope to conquer discerning consumers? In today's Chinese automotive industry, Li Auto's practice of this principle is remarkably thorough.
As the de facto "Chief Product Manager" of Li Auto, Li Xiang himself has stated that the Li Auto L6 is the model he uses most frequently for his own travel. The endorsement from the "founder's personal choice" naturally resonates with more people. First are Li Auto's internal employees. On the internal employee vehicle selection list, the previous generation L6 consistently remained one of the two models with the highest ownership rates, sharing the top spot with the benchmark product in the pure electric segment, the Li Auto i6.
When both the founder of a company and the team deeply involved in its operations choose this vehicle as their primary choice for family travel, the various speculations about why Chinese consumers are so fond of the Li Auto L6 find their most definitive answer. In April 2024, the previous generation Li Auto L6 was officially launched. Within just two months, its monthly sales rapidly surpassed the 20,000-unit mark, demonstrating formidable market dominance. By December of the same year, its growth momentum remained strong, with monthly sales approaching the 30,000-unit threshold. Currently, the Li Auto L6, in its role as a "HERO CAR," has achieved cumulative sales exceeding 400,000 units. This figure not only sets a new record in its segment but also crowns it as China's best-selling mid-to-large SUV by cumulative volume.
Behind these 400,000 vehicles lies the trust of 400,000 families. It is precisely on this foundation of trust that the new generation Li Auto L6 has fully absorbed user feedback. For instance, the aforementioned improvements to pure electric range and charging speed were significant experience enhancements made by the Li Auto team based on extensive user input, addressed comprehensively in the new generation model.
Furthermore, Li Auto internally operates an OTA beta testing program. Beta test users are required to complete driving tasks, share experience feedback, and assist engineers in identifying and fixing issues. The core purpose is to collaborate with Li Auto in co-creating better assisted driving products. An L6 owner once shared their experience of being selected for the "10,000-person beta test," praising this co-creation atmosphere as something traditional brands cannot provide.
It is precisely by leveraging the recognition, trust, expectations, and feedback from 400,000 users, allowing the Li Auto L6 to continuously evolve based on real-world feedback, distilling the genuine needs and pain points of countless users, that today's new generation Li Auto L6—this true "king of experience"—has been meticulously crafted.
"Would you buy it yourself?" Li Xiang and his team have provided an answer that satisfies external observers and has resonated collectively with 400,000 families. This is not just a leap in sales volume but a profound echo of the product philosophy centered on "user-first, experience-core." The turbulence in the Chinese auto market in the first half of 2026 declared the failure of "specification determinism" and heralded the comprehensive return of "experience is king." The debut of the new generation Li Auto L6 is not only an upgrade within Li Auto's own product matrix but also a powerful correction of the industry's direction. When the industry habitually looks outward—at competitors and specifications—Li Auto chooses to look inward—at users and experience. Just like Apple in 1997, those enterprises that truly start from the user experience and use mature technology to trace back and empower their products will emerge as the ultimate winners after the sands have settled.
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