This Chinese Luxury Brand Wants To Take Europe By The End Of The Year

In 2023, Li Auto said it wouldn't go global until 2028, but it now plans to launch an EV before the end of this year.

Li Auto i6

Photo by: Li Auto

Kevin Williams

By: Kevin Williams

Sep 11, at 5:08pm ET

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Li Auto will show off the European version of the i6 electric crossover and announce its full European expansion plans at this year's Paris Auto Show.
The Li Auto i6 will be called the "Li 6" when it goes on sale in Europe.
The Li Auto i6 is a 5-seat crossover with an 87.3 kWh battery. In China, it competes with the Tesla Model Y. It is one of Li Auto's best-selling models.

Chinese brands like BYD, Geely, Zeekr, and Jaecoo are quickly becoming known quantities all around the globe. Li Auto, a popular Chinese brand that hasn't pushed as hard for global domination thus far, could join them soon.

This luxury brand makes medium- and large-sized extended-range EVs and full EVs, is not doing much outside of China, save for a cautious launch in the Middle East. In fact, Li Auto CEO Li Xiang said in 2023 that it has no plans to go global before 2028.

Well, it looks like that’s changing. Li Auto announced on Thursday that it will show off the i6 crossover—its first model destined for Europe—at the Paris Auto Show in October. The automaker said it was targeting a European entry in the second half earlier this year. On Thursday, it said the Paris Auto Show will be where it reveals "global full product lineup and market rollout plans, alongside deeper insights into its European strategy and future product roadmap."

Li Auto has two product lines. Firstly, the L series are conventionally styled, extended-range SUVs. For those cars, the power is electric, but there’s a gas engine under the hood that is used to increase driving range when the main battery runs out.

Li Auto L6

Photo by: Li Auto

The brand’s fully electric line is called the “i” series. Li Auto markets these as SUVs, but in reality they're more like low-slung MPVs. The i6 is Li Auto’s entry-level electric car, and one of its best-selling models. In China, the i6 goes head-to-head with cars like the Tesla Model Y. For the European market, the company will drop the “Auto” part and just go by Li. Similarly, the i6 will simply be called the 6.

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Gallery: Li Auto i6

Li Auto i6

Source: Li Auto

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The specifications of the European version of the Li Auto i6 haven’t been released. In China, all i6’s come with the same 87.3 kWh battery. That energy goes to either one rear-mounted motor or two, proving all-wheel drive. Single-motor i6s produce 335 horsepower, or 536 horsepower in dual-motor form. The car can travel up to 447 miles on a charge, although that is on China’s more lenient CLTC standard.

I’m curious to see just how well Li Auto’s models will fare. Li Auto’s prices may seem cheap for those outside of China; the Li Auto i6 starts at about $36,000 in its home country, but it isn’t the cheapest in its segment. Li Auto’s top-of-the-line EREV models can easily touch more than $75,000 in China. Add in tariffs and a naturally higher price due to a different competitive environment in Europe, and I don’t anticipate the Li Auto i6 being all that cheap. Depending on pricing, the i6 could easily end up going head-to-head with cars like the new BMW iX3 or Mercedes-Benz GLC.

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