Li Auto’s monthly vehicle deliveries fell for a sixth consecutive month on a year-on-year basis in November, as the Chinese electric vehicle maker pinned its recovery hopes on ramping up production of its Li i6 electric sport utility vehicle early next year.
Li Auto delivered 33,181 vehicles in November, down 31.92% from a year earlier but up 4.45% from October’s 31,767 units, according to figures released by the company on Monday. From January to November, total deliveries reached 362,097 vehicles, representing a decline of 18.08% year on year. Cumulative deliveries since inception stood at 1,495,969 units as of the end of November.
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The company said it expects monthly production capacity for the Li i6 to reach 20,000 units early next year and plans to roll out over-the-air software update version 8.1 in early December 2025. “By shaping its competitiveness for the next decade across organizational structure, product portfolio, and technological innovation, the company is dedicated to advancing the transformation of its vehicles into embodied intelligence,” Li Auto said in a statement.
Li Auto’s year-to-date performance has been weighed down by continued weakness in its flagship L-series extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) models. The automaker launched its first all-electric SUV, the six-seat Li i8, on July 29 and later reintroduced the model on Aug. 5 with a price cut following muted initial reception. The Li i6, its second battery-electric SUV, was launched on Sept. 26, with deliveries starting a day later.
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When announcing October figures, Li Auto said the Li i6 had accumulated more than 70,000 orders and that the company was taking steps to ensure smooth deliveries. The company had targeted stable monthly deliveries of 6,000 units for the Li i8 and 9,000 to 10,000 units for the Li i6 by year-end. “Li Auto aimed for stable monthly deliveries of 6,000 units for the Li i8 and 9,000–10,000 units for the Li i6 by year-end,” founder, chairman and chief executive Li Xiang said on Sept. 1.
As of Nov. 30, Li Auto operated 544 retail stores across 157 cities, along with 556 service centres and authorised body painting facilities in 227 cities. The company also ran 3,614 supercharging stations in China with 20,027 charging points.
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In November, Li Auto dismissed several employees following internal investigations linked to a major recall of its Li Mega multi-purpose vehicle and a separate quality issue affecting its L-series EREV models, according to local media including 21jingji and Sina Tech. Disciplinary measures were taken against 14 individuals, the reports said.
Separately, Li Auto said cumulative deliveries of its EREV models surpassed 1.4 million units, including more than 330,000 deliveries each of the Li L6 and Li L7, more than 250,000 units of the Li L8 and over 280,000 of the Li L9. The discontinued Li One exceeded 200,000 units.
See also: Li Auto Expands Hong Kong Operations as Overseas Headquarters
The company has also signalled a push into self-developed technologies. Last November, Li Auto said it would begin deploying its in-house M100 smart driving chip in mass-produced vehicles next year, following similar moves by Chinese peers Nio and Xpeng.
