Li Auto is one of China’s genuine EV success stories, founded in 2015 by entrepreneur Li Xiang and credited as the pioneer that made range-extender electric vehicles (EREVs) commercially successful in China, cars that drive on electric power with a small petrol engine acting purely as a generator, solving range anxiety years before charging infrastructure caught up in many regions. Volume production began in November 2019, and the approach paid off, Li Auto’s L-series SUVs have consistently ranked among China’s best-selling premium family vehicles.
Li Auto
Founded: 2015 HQ: Beijing, China Parent: Li Auto Inc. (independent, publicly listed)
Last updated: August 26, 2026
Li Auto Overview
The current line-up spans the Li MEGA, a flagship family MPV, alongside four SUVs of increasing size: the L6, L7, L8 and L9, all sharing the same fundamental range-extender approach but scaled to different budgets and family sizes. The L6, the most affordable of the four, has been a genuine phenomenon, surpassing 200,000 deliveries within just nine months of its April 2024 launch, and the whole range was significantly refreshed through 2026, gaining Li Auto’s own in-house Mach M100 self-driving chip across the board.
Li Auto has not launched in the UK, and remains a China-only brand for now, though an international version of the flagship L9 has been described as expected later in 2026, a potential early signal of broader ambitions to come.
Available In
- Asia
- Not Available in UK
Availability shown is approximate, check the manufacturer's official website to confirm for your country.
