Li Auto's i8 product head to leave, report says

• Li Auto's product lead for models including the Li i8 will soon depart, likely due to the Li i8's underwhelming sales performance, according to a local media report.
• He oversaw models including the Li i8, Li L7, and Li L8 at Li Auto.

Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI, HKG: 2015) is reportedly losing another executive, partly due to the underperformance of its Li i8 electric SUV (sport utility vehicle) since its launch.

Zhang Xiao, president of the company's second product line, will depart shortly, according to a report today by local media outlet LatePost. He oversaw models including the Li i8, Li L7, and Li L8 at Li Auto.

Zhang's departure may be linked to the Li i8's underwhelming sales performance, the report said.

As Li Auto's inaugural model entering the pure-electric SUV segment, the Li i8's market performance fell short of internal expectations despite the launch being delayed by one year, the report noted.

From mid-2023 to the first half of 2024, Zhang led his team in refining the Li i8's styling and optimizing its product design.

Li Auto established its product line department in April 2024, dividing its portfolio into three segments based on price ranges.

The first product line covers vehicles priced above RMB 400,000 ($57,030), including the Li Mega electric MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) and the Li L9 large SUV, overseen by Tang Jing.

The second product line covers models priced between RMB 300,000 and RMB 400,000, including the Li i8, Li L7, and Li L8, managed by Zhang.

The third product line covers models priced below RMB 300,000, including the Li L6 and Li i6, managed by Li Xinyang. Li also serves as the English interpreter for every Li Auto earnings call.

The Li i8 was launched on July 29 as Li Auto's second battery electric vehicle (BEV) model following the Li Mega MPV.

The company relaunched the Li i8 on August 5, reducing available configurations from three to one and lowering its price after facing poor initial market reception.

The Li i8 currently starts at RMB 339,800. The electric SUV delivered 6,719 units in November, bringing cumulative deliveries since its August launch to 20,396 units, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

LatePost noted that personnel changes in the product lines are not Li Auto's core challenge.

With industry competition intensifying, Li Auto's immediate priority is to reassess its product strategy and swiftly clarify its product roadmap and market positioning for the coming years, the report said.

Shortly after the LatePost report was published, another domestic media outlet, 21jingji, reported that Zhang had resigned at his own initiative, unrelated to Li Auto's business operations.

According to the report, multiple sources said that Zhang may start his own business after leaving. The second product line he managed will be merged with the first product line and will be overseen by Tang, president of the first product line.

Last week, another domestic media outlet, 21jingji, reported that Li Auto had restructured and consolidated its supply chain departments.

The previous structure was designed for a two-million-unit annual production capacity. With the scaled-back capacity plan, the company is merging departments with overlapping functions, a Li Auto supply chain insider told 21jingji.

Li Auto's delivery performance has been sluggish this year, with 362,097 vehicles delivered from January to November -- an 18.08 percent year-on-year decline.

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Nov 27, 2025

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