Gagsoo Munich- On September 10, Li Auto CEO Li Xiang took to his personal Weibo account to announce that the Li i9 will officially launch on September 16. Xiang stated that the arrival of the Li i9 signifies that Li Auto has finally cleared three major obstacles, describing the vehicle as "the crystallization of 11 years of proprietary technology and product philosophy — a perfect scorecard."
Image source: @Li Xiang
Xiang summarized the three hurdles as: pursuing a dual-strategy of extended-range and pure-electric powertrains, persisting in self-developing core technologies and successfully integrating them into vehicles, and staying true to the company's identity. He noted that the Li Auto i6 has consistently ranked among the top three selling models across all models priced above 200,000 yuan for seven consecutive months, while the Li Auto i8 and the new-generation MEGA have surpassed sales expectations. Official data from Li Auto shows August deliveries reached 37,679 units, securing the top sales spot among Chinese brands in the 200,000 yuan and above new-energy vehicle market for the first half of the year. Regarding the charging network, Li Auto has established a 5C supercharging station every 122 kilometers on average along the country's 18 busiest national highways.
Image source: @Li Xiang
On the technology front, Xiang revealed that R&D spending has topped 10 billion yuan annually over the past three years. For the first time, four core technologies are simultaneously ready: proprietary battery production, in-house motor manufacturing, the Mach M100 chip, and autonomous driving models. In terms of product positioning, the Li i9 is a new form of family flagship SUV with a drag coefficient as low as 0.215. It measures 5,225 x 1,970 x 1,752 mm with a 3,168 mm wheelbase, equipped with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system and a 101 kWh battery pack, delivering CLTC pure-electric ranges of 680 km and 705 km. The model will debut as the flagship on Li Auto's second-generation pure-electric platform.
