Li Auto — Li Xiang's range-extender SUVs, from the Li One to the L9

Li Auto at a glance

Li Xiang and the founding

Li Xiang had built two internet businesses before turning to cars: the technology website PCPop and the car website Autohome.com.cn. In 2015 Li set up Beijing Chehejia Information Technology; the name means "Car and Home". The company's first idea was a small low-speed electric car. Early in 2018 Chehejia dropped that project, because the central government did not support legalising the vehicle class. A planned joint venture with the ride-hailing company DiDi, agreed the same year, collapsed soon after.

The company changed course to a large SUV with a range extender. In 2019 the Cayman Islands holding company Chehejia Technologies was renamed Leading Ideal, and in 2020 the name was shortened to Li Auto.

The Li One: a range-extender SUV

The Li One was presented at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2019. Series production in Changzhou started in November 2019, and the first cars reached Chinese buyers in early 2020.

The petrol engine never drives the wheels; it only charges the battery. The Li One sold 32,624 cars in China in 2020 and more than 45,000 by 1 April 2021. It was discontinued in October 2022 to make room for the L8.

In July 2020 Li Auto listed on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol "LI" and raised US$1.1 billion in its first round. In October 2021 construction of a second plant began in Shunyi District, Beijing, on a site previously owned by Beijing Hyundai.

The L-series: L9, L8, L7 and L6

The L9 became the new flagship. It was unveiled online on 8 March 2022 and officially launched on 21 June 2022. It has six seats in three rows, a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder generator and two motors, 130 kW at the front and 200 kW at the rear, with a system output of 240 kW (326 PS). Its electric range is 180 to 235 km WLTP. The L9 sold 38,973 in China in 2022. A second generation, with a 72.7 kWh battery and up to 340 km WLTP on electricity alone, was unveiled on 6 February 2026.

The L8 followed the L9, and the five-seat L7 was presented in September 2022. Its range-extender system reaches 330 kW (449 PS), and the Ultra version has a 52.3 kWh battery for 240 km of electric range on the WLTC cycle. The L7 sold 134,089 in China in 2023. The smaller L6 mid-size SUV joined the range in 2024.

In 2024 Li Auto had revenue of CN¥144.46 billion, an operating income of CN¥7.02 billion and 32,248 employees.

Mega and the battery-electric i-series

Li Auto's first battery-electric car, the Mega, was presented at Auto Guangzhou in November 2023 and built from 2024. It is a full-size people carrier with an 800 V system, two 245 kW motors for 400 kW (544 PS) in total and a 102.7 kWh CATL Qilin battery. The CLTC range is 710 km. Charging at up to 520 kW takes it from 10 to 80 per cent in 10.5 minutes. The Mega sold 10,798 in China in 2024.

The i-series of battery-electric SUVs followed: the i8 in February 2025 and the i6 in September 2025. Sales in 2025 fell to 406,343, below the 2024 record. In a May 2025 earnings call Li Xiang said saloons would be considered later and would depend on demand in future overseas markets in Europe and Asia.

The Li Auto models on 1cars are listed in the Li Auto catalogue, and the flagship has its own page on the Li Auto L9 range-extender SUV and its generations. Another range-extender SUV from China is the Voyah Free. For family cars with three rows of seats, see the best 7-seater cars and the best plug-in hybrid SUVs.

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