The company is betting on an aggressive rollout of its new electric SUV to regain momentum after recent declines in deliveries, with the first units set to reach customers from Aug. 20.
Li Auto is pushing ahead with aggressive delivery goals for its new Li i8 electric SUV while fighting backlash over its troubled debut in China.
The company stated that it will deliver more than 8,000 units by the end of September and aims to reach 10,000 units before the Oct. 1–8 National Day holiday, with customer deliveries commencing on August 20. New orders carry a 10–12 week wait time, CnEVPost reported.
The six-seat Li i8, Li Auto’s first battery electric SUV after the Li Mega MPV, launched July 29 at 321,800 yuan ($44,770), under initial expectations but above rivals like Nio’s Onvo L90 at 279,900 yuan ($38,988), which offers battery-swap capability and broader tech features.
The early reception was muted, prompting a relaunch on Aug. 5 with fewer trims and a reduced price. The i8 features a 97.8 kWh ternary lithium battery, 5C fast charging, and up to 720 km CLTC range, supported by Li Auto’s 2,883-site supercharging network.
The launch has been overshadowed by a wave of negative, repetitive social media posts targeting Li Auto owners on platforms such as Weibo and WeChat.
The company’s legal department claims the campaign is organized and illegal, and plans to file formal complaints and potentially pursue litigation.
This is the second major online storm Li has faced this year after the underwhelming debut of the Li Mega MPV, which consistently missed its 8,000-unit monthly target and fell below 1,000 units in some months.
Controversy deepened after a crash test video shown at the Li i8’s launch appeared to depict the SUV lifting an 8-ton Chenglong truck during a collision, sparking accusations of misleading marketing.
Chenglong called the video “fake at a glance,” though Li Auto and the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute later clarified it was a controlled test and jointly apologized.
Speculation that rival Nio was behind the smear campaign has been denied by the company’s brand and communications VP Ma Lin, who urged Li Auto owners not to be misled and invited them to test drive Nio’s ES8 and Onvo L90.
The Li i8 arrives as Li Auto faces slowing growth, with July deliveries down 39.7% year-on-year to 30,731 units. L-series extended-range EVs fell 40%–53% in the month, while Li Mega deliveries jumped 330%.
The company is also preparing to launch the smaller, lower-priced Li i6 SUV in September.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Li Auto was ‘extremely bullish’ amid ‘normal’ message volume.
Li Auto’s stock is flat so far in 2025.
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