- Li i8 will be launched in late July, with preparations for production and delivery now in their final stages.
- Li i8 will be Li Auto's latest offensive in the BEV market, as the EREV market it helped popularize is nearing saturation.
Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) will officially launch Li i8 in about a month, entering the highly competitive pure electric SUV (sport utility vehicle) market.
Li i8 will be launched in late July, and preparations for production, training, and delivery are now in their final stages, Li Auto founder, chairman, and CEO Li Xiang said today on Weibo.
"Families in need of a spacious six-seater vehicle, see you in July!" Li wrote on Weibo.
Li i8 will be Li Auto's latest effort in the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market, following its success in the extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) market.
To support the launch of Li i8, Li Auto has accelerated the construction of charging infrastructure over the past year. The company previously said that by the time Li i8 is launched, it will have over 2,500 supercharging stations in China.
Earlier today, Li Auto announced that its 2,500th 5C supercharging station has gone live at the Shanghai Disney Resort.
Li i8 will be Li Auto's second BEV model following Li Mega MPV (multi-purpose vehicle).
Li Mega was initially launched on March 1, 2024, and is Li Auto's most expensive model, currently priced starting at RMB 529,800 ($73,680).
Li Auto had high hopes for Li Mega, previously mentioning a target of 8,000 monthly sales for the MPV.
However, the company was overly optimistic, as Li Mega has delivered fewer than 1,000 units in most months since its launch.
Li i8 measures 5,085 mm in length, 1,960 mm in width, and 1,740 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,050 mm, according to a regulatory filing in April.
The electric SUV is equipped with dual motors, with the front motor delivering a peak power of 150 kW and the rear motor delivering a peak power of 250 kW.
Li i8 will be Li Auto's latest offensive in the BEV market, as the EREV market it helped popularize is nearing saturation.
The company delivered 40,856 vehicles in May, representing a year-on-year increase of 16.66 percent and a month-on-month increase of 20.38 percent.
From January to May, Li Auto delivered 167,659 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 18.73 percent.
($1 = RMB 7.1905)
