- Li Auto hit 80,000 i6 units, signaling production stabilized after severe supply-chain disruption.
- Li Auto sold out 2025 i6 capacity in four days but faced delivery bottlenecks and battery-supplier trust issues.
- Company shifts to dual-brand batteries (CATL and in-house) and warranty boosts to secure supply and demand.
Li Auto confirmed today that the 80,000th i6 has officially rolled off the assembly line. This milestone signals that after a period of initial supply chain turbulence, the model’s production ramp-up has finally entered a mature phase.
As the brand’s third all-electric offering, the i6 began deliveries on September 27, 2025. Priced from RMB 249.8K ($34.7K), it remains Li Auto’s most accessible EV to date.
Market reception was explosive. Internal sources revealed that the entire 2025 production capacity was sold out within just four days of the launch.
However, the subsequent “production hell” sparked significant controversy. By October 2025, delivery figures struggled in the low thousands—a stark contrast to the massive order backlog.
To ease delivery pressures, Li Auto pivoted to a dual-supplier strategy, adding Sunwoda to the mix alongside CATL. However, the 38,000-unit Zeekr 001 recall—triggered by Sunwoda battery issues—has left a lingering cloud of skepticism among buyers.
To counter this, Li Auto offered an additional 2-year or 40,000 km battery warranty for Sunwoda-equipped units. Despite these efforts, a strong consumer preference for CATL led to further delivery bottlenecks as supply struggled to keep pace with demand.
This vulnerability explains President Ma Donghui’s remarks during the 2025 earnings call: starting in 2026, Li Auto vehicles will utilize a dual-brand battery strategy—CATL and Li Auto’s in-house batteries. The move is designed to eliminate “bottleneck” risks associated with relying on a single supplier.
Recent data from January and February suggests the i6 has successfully turned the corner, becoming the brand’s bestseller with an average of 16,000 deliveries per month.
Meanwhile, the L-series refresh has entered its final countdown. CEO Li Xiang has repeatedly emphasized that Li Auto’s 20% growth target for 2026 hinges on the success of this update. Currently, the L9 has stopped taking new orders, while the L8 and L7 are down to limited inventory as the brand prepares for a full-scale product generation swap.
Discover more from ChinaEVHome
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
