Li Auto's Beijing plant is expected to see its first vehicle roll off the line by September, a local media report said in March.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
Li Auto's (NASDAQ: LI) Beijing plant, which is expected to be used first to produce its first all-electric model, doesn't appear to be far from the start of production.
Li Auto's plant in Beijing's Shunyi district is expected to be ready for production in August, and the company's first all-electric model, internally codenamed W01, will be built there, local media outlet Meiren Auto reported today.
The extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) maker is conducting mass hiring for the plant, though many candidates will need to start work in August after the plant's production lines are installed, according to the report.
The plant currently has more than 50 people on the shop floor, including more than 20 welders and 30 final assembly workers, the report said, citing a person already on board.
Li Auto, when asked about the plant, did not deny the report, saying the company is indeed actively preparing for the plant, according to the National Business Daily report.
The plant was originally Hyundai's first factory in China, but production had been halted since April 2019.
Li Auto began building its own facility based on the plant in October 2021, with a total area of 270,000 square meters for conversion and expansion and a total project investment of more than 6 billion yuan ($843 million), with production scheduled to begin in late 2023, according to a government announcement at the time.
Upon reaching production, the plant will achieve an annual capacity of 100,000 units of pure-play electric vehicles, the Shunyi district government said in the announcement at the time.
On March 15, an article posted on a WeChat account owned by local media outlet Beijing Daily said the Li Auto Beijing plant is expected to see its first vehicle roll off the line by September this year.
The Beijing plant is used to produce all-electric models with a design capacity of 100,000 units per year, Li Auto management said in a call with analysts following the company's first-quarter earnings announcement on May 10, adding that the company will optimize its production lines and production efforts in the future in response to more model launches and demand.
Li Auto's plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, has two production lines, one of which is used to produce the Li L9 and Li L8, with a capacity of 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles per month in double-shift production, its management said during the call.
The other line, which produces the Li L7 and Li L8, is currently a single-shift line with a capacity of 10,000 to 12,000 per month. Further capacity can be ramped up later, depending on the demand for deliveries, the company said.
Li Auto delivered 28,277 vehicles in May, up 145.97 percent year-on-year and up 10.11 percent from April, the third consecutive month to exceed the 20,000-unit mark.
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