Li Auto: owner, models, markets and what the name means
Facts checked United States status as of 4 September 2026
- Private
- Electric-native
- NASDAQ LI
- HKEX 2015
Li Auto is the single marque of Li Auto Inc., founded in Beijing in 2015 by Li Xiang. Its first car was the Li ONE, a large six-seat SUV unveiled in April 2019 and in production from November that year.
The Li ONE set the pattern for what followed. Rather than a pure battery-electric car, it was an extended-range electric vehicle: electric motors drive the wheels at all times, and a small petrol engine runs only as a generator when the battery is low. That removed range anxiety from the buying decision without a charging network, and it is the main reason Li Auto reached profitability before its peers. Battery-only models were added later and the brand now sells both, alongside a supercharging network of 3,907 stations and 21,651 stalls at the end of 2025.
The brand's line-up is built around large family vehicles: the L-series extended-range SUVs, the Mega MPV and the i-series battery-electric cars. Li Auto sold 406,343 vehicles in 2025 and passed 1.5 million cumulative deliveries on 31 December 2025.
Exports began late and deliberately. The L9 launched in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in July 2026 and in the United Arab Emirates in September 2026; Li Auto has said it will start European sales of the battery-electric i6 in the fourth quarter of 2026, debuting the car at the Paris Motor Show in October, and will take the battery-electric Mega to Hong Kong and Singapore by the end of that year.
Key facts
| Chinese name | 理想 “LEE-shyahng” 理想 lǐxiǎng is the ordinary Chinese word for 'ideal' or 'aspiration'. The full marque is 理想汽车, 'Ideal Motors'. |
|---|---|
| Also written | LI AUTO, Lixiang, Li Xiang and Leading Ideal |
| Owner | Li Auto |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Beijing, China |
| Origin | China |
| First car | Li ONE, 2019 |
| Vehicles | Cars |
| Segment | Electric-vehicle start-up |
| United States | Never sold in the United States — Li Auto has never sold a car in the United States. Its American depositary shares trade on Nasdaq, which is a listing rather than a sales presence, and its stated export priorities are Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and right-hand-drive Asian markets. |
| Official site | www.lixiang.com |
| 2025 deliveries | 406,343 vehicles, of which 109,194 in the fourth quarter; cumulative deliveries reached 1,540,215 by 31 December 2025 |
| Powertrain | Built its name on extended-range electric vehicles, where a petrol engine acts only as a generator; battery-only models were added later |
| First car | Li ONE six-seat SUV, unveiled April 2019 and in production from November 2019 |
| Networks | 548 retail stores in 159 cities and 3,907 supercharging stations with 21,651 stalls as of 31 December 2025 |
| First export markets | Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with the L9 in July 2026, followed by the United Arab Emirates in September 2026; a partnership with the Kazakh group Allur covers local adaptation and assembly |
| Europe | European sales of the battery-electric i6 stated for the fourth quarter of 2026, with the car debuting at the Paris Motor Show in October 2026 |
Who owns Li Auto?
Li Xiang holds a stake in Li Auto since 2015.
Li Xiang founded the company in 2015 and is its chairman and chief executive. At the July 2020 IPO filing he held 25.1% of the shares and 70.3% of the voting power through Li Auto's dual-class structure. No current percentage is asserted here; the company has issued shares since listing on Nasdaq in 2020 and in Hong Kong afterwards.
The full ownership page for Li Auto · Is Li Auto Chinese?
Li Auto models
| Model | Name in China | Body | Powertrain | Range | Price in China |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 理想i8i8 | 理想i8 / Li i8 | SUV | Battery-electric | 670 km CLTC | not published |
| 理想L6L6 | 理想L6 / Li L6 | SUV | Range-extender electric | 182 km WLTP | not published |
| 理想L9L9 | 理想L9 / Li L9 | SUV | Range-extender electric | 280 km CLTC | CNY 459,800 as of |
| 理想MEGAMega | 理想MEGA / Li MEGA | MPV | Battery-electric | 710 km CLTC | CNY 529,800 as of |
Where Li Auto is sold
Recorded in 4 market s: CN, KZ, UZ and United Arab Emirates. Where a company publishes only its principal markets, that is a floor and not a complete list.
| Country | Code | Market page |
|---|---|---|
| China | CN | no page yet |
| Kazakhstan | KZ | no page yet |
| Uzbekistan | UZ | no page yet |
| United Arab Emirates | AE | Chinese cars in the United Arab Emirates |
Li Auto: questions people ask
- Is Li Auto Chinese?
- Yes. Li Auto Inc. was founded in Beijing in 2015, is headquartered in Shunyi district there, and builds its cars at Changzhou in Jiangsu province and at a Beijing plant. Its shares are listed on Nasdaq and in Hong Kong.
- Who owns Li Auto?
- It is a listed company controlled by its founder through a dual-class share structure: at the July 2020 IPO filing Li Xiang held 25.1% of the shares and 70.3% of the voting power. Meituan and its chief executive Wang Xing are the largest outside shareholders.
- What does Li Auto's Chinese name mean?
- 理想 (Lǐxiǎng) means 'ideal'. It is also a near-homophone of the founder's name, 李想 Lǐ Xiǎng, so the marque reads both as 'Ideal Motors' and as the man's own name.
- Are Li Auto's cars electric?
- Both kinds. The cars the brand is known for are extended-range electric vehicles, where electric motors always drive the wheels and a small petrol engine runs only as a generator. Li Auto now also sells models with no engine at all.
- Where can you buy a Li Auto?
- Mainly in China. Exports began in 2026 with the L9 in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and then the United Arab Emirates; European sales were stated for the fourth quarter of 2026. It has never been sold in the United States.
Related
Sources for Li Auto
- Li Auto Inc. / U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Li Auto Inc. Announces Unaudited Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results (Form 6-K, Exhibit 99.1). Read .
- Li Auto Inc. / U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Li Auto Inc. December 2025 Delivery Update (Form 6-K, Exhibit 99.1). Read .
- Wikipedia, Li Auto. Read . Finding aid for the Li ONE dates, the extended-range powertrain description and the plants.
- CnEVPost, Li Auto maps overseas push with i6 for Europe, L9 for Dubai. Read .
- CnEVPost, Li Auto launches new L9 in UAE in key Middle East expansion step. Read . Read via the publisher's front page listing on 4 September 2026: the new L9 launched in the UAE from about US$87,100.