PARIS, Oct. 22 (Xinhua Silk Road) -- Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer Li Auto officially announced its strategic plan to enter European market and held the European debut of its new-form five-seat SUV, the Li 6, at the 91st Paris Motor Show, drawing attention from visitors.
As introduced at the launching ceremony, the Li 6 features Li Auto's self-developed 800V high-voltage platform and 5C ultra-fast charging battery. The RWD version of the Li 6 has a WLTP range of 640 km, while the AWD version has a WLTP range of 560 km. The model can charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in 10 minutes, providing efficient energy replenishment support for daily commuting and long-distance travel.
Benjamin Baum, senior exterior design director at Li Auto, said at the launch event that Li Auto has always been a pioneer in intelligent experience in China, and is one of the first companies to fully independently develop autonomous driving and smart cockpits. Through the Li 6, the company is bringing the best of these technologies to Europe.
He added that the Li 6 integrates technology into daily life and features a software experience tailored specifically for European users. For example, its smart cockpit integrates Spotify and fully supports Apple CarPlay. Supporting these intelligent experiences is Li Auto's self-developed Mach M100 chip, which not only delivers 1280 TOPS of computing power but also fully complies with local regulatory requirements.
As Li Auto's first product for its official entry into the European market, the Li 6 is expected to be launched and begin deliveries first in Norway and the Netherlands in the first quarter of 2027.
In the future, Li Auto will gradually launch battery-electric and range-extended models in Europe and expand to other European countries. At the same time, it will carry out deep localization adaptation at both the software and hardware levels to better meet user needs.
Nestor Wu, vice president of International Business at Li Auto, told reporter that next year the company plans to first enter Europe's left-hand-drive markets, and then gradually introduce new products to right-hand-drive markets, including the UK, in the middle of the year or the third quarter.
Back to domestic market, the 2026 version of Li 6 will be officially launched in China on October 28.
Data shows that as of the end of September 2026, Li Auto has entered 12 overseas markets, operating a total of 20 stores. After successively entering markets in Central Asia, Africa and the Caucasus in 2025, the manufacturer's first global model, the all-new L9, was launched in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the UAE in 2026.
Furthermore, Li Auto started localized assembly production in Kazakhstan this year, advancing its strategic upgrade from product export to ecosystem export. Wu mentioned that in the medium and long term, Li Auto is confident of increasing overseas sales to about 30 percent of total sales.
Wu also explained that since the launching of its globalization strategy in 2025, Li Auto has consistently adhered to a phased expansion approach in its overseas layout, combining local market size and competitive landscape, adapting measures to local conditions, and flexibly choosing models such as setting up subsidiaries, developing dealers or signing exclusive general distributors.
At the same time, its product strategy choices are also based on deep insights into local users. "We do not want to bring all of Li Auto's current range-extended and battery-electric products to Europe as different countries have different charging conditions, energy-replenishment habits and user preferences," said Wu.
"Therefore, we will start from user needs and gradually build a European product matrix, and will engage in long-term cooperation with local markets rather than rushing for short-term sales growth," he added. (Contributed by Li Wenxin, edited by Li Xueqing with Xinhua Silk Road, lixueqing@xinhua.org)
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