- Onvo released the first official image of the L90, and its president congratulated the Li i8 on its announcement, heralding the head-to-head competition to come.
- The L90 will be Onvo's flagship model, a large SUV for large families.
Onvo, a sub-brand of Nio (NYSE: NIO), has released the first official image of its second model, the Onvo L90, as its local counterpart Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) revealed its first all-electric SUV (sport utility vehicle), the Li i8, heralding a head-to-head competition.
Onvo shared the image of the L90 on Weibo today, showing the side of the body, albeit wrapped in camouflage.
"The flagship SUV for large family spaces, the Onvo L90, is rechargeable, swappable, a better experience than refueling, and a better pure electric than pure electric," Onvo wrote on Weibo.
Onvo president Alan Ai retweeted the Weibo, suggesting that the model will compete head-to-head with the Li i8.
"Onvo L90, our flagship SUV for large family spaces, will be meeting everyone soon," Ai wrote on Weibo.
"Congrats also on the announcement of the pure electric SUV Li i8, power up together," Ai said.
Onvo's second model had been named the Onvo L90, Ai said in a February 21 video broadcast with Charles Zhang, founder of Chinese news portal Sohu.
The L90 would be Onvo's flagship product and would feature a three-row seating layout, a large SUV for large families, Ai said at the time.
Onvo planned to give the L90 a debut in the second quarter of this year and officially launch it in the third quarter, he said.
Onvo launched its first model, the L60, on September 19, 2024, and deliveries of the five-seat mid-size SUV began on September 28.
Earlier today, Li Auto announced that its first all-electric SUV named Li i8 and released the first official images to start warming up for the model.
Li Auto is one of the major extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) players in China, and currently sells mainly L-series extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), including the Li L6, Li L7, Li L8, and Li L9, all of which are SUVs.
On March 1, 2024, the Li Mega MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) was launched, the first BEV model from Li Auto.
The Li Mega did not perform as well as Li Auto's management expected after its launch, forcing a significant strategy shift.
The company had originally planned to launch more BEVs in the second half of 2024, but announced in an earnings call on May 20 last year that it was postponing that plan to the first half of 2025.
The Li i8 is set to intensify competition in China's BEV sector, with potential major rivals including Onvo's next large SUVs.
Li Auto names its 1st all-electric SUV Li i8, releases official images
More on Nio
