Li Auto reported a 38.2% year-on-year decline in October deliveries to 31,767 vehicles, marking its fifth consecutive month of falling sales as the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker works to expand production capacity for its new models.
The October figure also represented a 6.4% drop from September’s 33,951 units, according to data compiled by CnEVPost. From January through October, Li Auto delivered 328,916 vehicles, down 16.4% from the same period last year. Cumulative deliveries since the company’s founding have reached 1.46 million units.
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Despite the ongoing decline, Li Auto said its newly launched Li i6 electric SUV — unveiled on September 26 — has accumulated over 70,000 orders. “We are taking all necessary steps to facilitate deliveries and meet strong demand for the Li i6,” the company said in a statement.
Li Auto has struggled this year with slowing sales of its flagship L-series extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), while its newer pure-electric models are still in the early stages of ramping up production. The company launched its first all-electric SUV, the six-seat Li i8, in July, followed by the Li i6 two months later. Deliveries of the i8 began on August 20, while the i6 started on September 27.
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Li Auto’s founder, chairman and CEO Li Xiang said on September 1 that the company was targeting steady monthly deliveries of 6,000 units for the Li i8 and between 9,000 and 10,000 units for the Li i6 by year-end. In September, the company delivered 5,716 units of the i8 and 404 units of the i6, according to CnEVPost data.
The automaker also faced renewed scrutiny over vehicle safety last week after a Li Mega electric MPV caught fire in Shanghai. The incident prompted a recall of 11,411 units of the 2024 Li Mega model, produced between February 18 and December 27, 2024, effective November 7. The recalled vehicles represent nearly half of the model’s cumulative deliveries of 25,817 units as of the end of September.
