Li Auto August deliveries slump, to launch L8 in November

Beijing (Gasgoo)- China’s new energy vehicle Li Auto saw its monthly deliveries more than halved in August, and announced it will launch the Li L8 in early November with deliveries to commence in the same month.

On the first day of September, the Beijing-based startup said it delivered 4,571 vehicles last month, representing a decrease of 51.54% from a year ago and a decline of 56.14% from a month ago. But the automaker didn’t break down the respective deliveries of its two models. On August 30, Li Auto began to deliver its second mass-production model, the L9.

Photo credit: Li Auto

“We are pleased to have commenced deliveries of our flagship smart SUV, Li L9, and to have heard from Li L9’s initial users that it exceeded their expectations,” Yanan Shen, co-founder and president of Li Auto, said in a press release.

However, the popularity of the L9 did affect the sales of the Li ONE. Yanan Shen said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call that after the launching of the L9, especially after the new model’s test drive started, the order intake of the Li ONE has slowed down and some potential customers of the Li ONE turn to buy the L9. According to a local media, the Li ONE’s registrations in the first two weeks of August was less than 2,000 units.

The Li L8 is a large premium smart SUV for families. The model will be available in two variants, a six-seater and a VIP five-seater, to broadly cater to diverse family groups. Li Xiang, the company’s founder, revealed that the L8 will adopt a fastest-ever and ahead-of-schedule pace in launching and delivery.

As of August 31, 2022, Li Auto had 265 retail stores in 118 cities, as well as 316 servicing centers and Li Auto-authorized body and paint shops operating in 226 cities.