Starting at 249,800 yuan, the 2026 Li Auto i6 switches to the self-developed Lianshan battery and Mach M100 chip

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Li Auto saved its last launch event of the year for the 2026 Li i6.

The thinking was fairly clear — the hit model needed to be pushed even further.

One year after launch, the Li i6 has accumulated nearly 190,000 deliveries and has ranked among the top three pure electric models priced above 200,000 yuan for eight consecutive months, making it Li Auto's most important high-volume pure electric model.

Yet even for a product so well received by the market, Li Auto still chose not to make only minor tweaks.

The just-launched 2026 Li i6 directly adopts the 96 kWh self-developed Lianshan battery, the self-developed M100 smart driving chip, and the Qualcomm 8797 cockpit chip, while also bringing over configurations from flagship models such as dual zero-gravity seats, a 6K panoramic screen, and ADB matrix headlights.

Range, intelligence, and comfort have been upgraded almost from head to toe.

Li Xiang's own expectations for the i6 have also risen further, shifting from a top-three seller in a domestic segment to Li Auto's highest-selling model worldwide.

Such extensive changes also mean the significance of this annual facelift goes beyond a simple product update.

For Li Auto, which is accelerating its pure electric transition, the i6 also carries a more important task.

The biggest upgrade of the 2026 Li i6 is first reflected in the battery and chips.

On the battery side, the new car switches to Li Auto's latest self-developed Lianshan 5C ultra-fast charging battery, with capacity increased from the original 87.3 kWh to 96 kWh.

Corresponding range figures have also improved noticeably. The CLTC range of the rear-wheel-drive version rises from 720 km to 780 km, an increase of 60 km; the four-wheel-drive version rises from 660 km to 710 km, an increase of 50 km.

In particular, the four-wheel-drive version has finally crossed the 700 km mark, filling a product regret that Li Xiang had previously publicly acknowledged.

Moreover, before the launch event, Li Auto specifically organized an 18-hour live range test around Taihu Lake.

A rear-wheel-drive i6 equipped with the 96 kWh battery, carrying four adults and about 50 kg of equipment with the air conditioning on throughout, ultimately traveled 811.4 km, with average power consumption of 11.8 kWh per 100 km and a CLTC range achievement rate of 104%.

The more important change is actually hidden inside the battery.

The 2025 i6 also supports 5C ultra-fast charging, but the 2026 model adopts Li Auto's complete self-developed battery system, covering key links such as cells, the pack, and the BMS.

Among these, the cells are independently developed by Li Auto and produced by partners such as Sunwoda and CALB, while the battery pack is manufactured by Li Auto itself.

Li Auto also re-optimized the battery pack structure so that the upper cover fits more closely to the vehicle floor, further improving space utilization within the limited chassis space.

The electric drive system has also been upgraded in tandem. The self-developed silicon carbide power module optimizes the current transmission path, and together with improvements in motor structure and materials, the company says the improved electric drive efficiency brings about 30 km of range gain to the vehicle.

Together with the 800V high-voltage platform and 5C ultra-fast charging system, Li Auto is gradually forming its own technology system in the core three electric components of pure electric vehicles, from R&D and design to vehicle application.

And around its self-developed battery, Li Auto has also formally brought the Lianshan battery assurance plan previously announced at Power Day to the i6.

First owners of the new i6 can enjoy two lifetime assurances:

First, if the original battery causes a spontaneous fire due to quality problems and the vehicle meets scrapping conditions, Li Auto compensates with a new car of the same configuration; second, if the battery catches fire due to a battery collision or chassis scrape and the vehicle meets scrapping conditions, Li Auto makes up the difference in the actual insurance payout.

This chip debuts this year on the new-generation Li L9 Livis, using a 5nm automotive-grade process and a dataflow computing architecture, with a nominal single-chip computing power of 1280 TOPS.

Compared with the previously used NVIDIA Thor-U platform, the biggest change with the M100 is that Li Auto has begun to control the architecture design of its assisted driving computing hardware itself.

From the chip to the M100 VLA driver large model, Li Auto can carry out deeper software-hardware co-optimization around specific algorithm requirements.

And with the launch of the new car, Li Auto also released the latest M100 VLA 2.5.

The core change is the introduction of the self-developed 3D ViT visual perception architecture, further enhancing the system's ability to understand and anticipate complex road environments.

For example, when it sees a bus ahead to the side slowing down, the system can anticipate that a pedestrian may cross in the blind spot ahead and slow down in advance; when it notices the reverse lights of the car ahead turn on, it can judge that the other vehicle may be preparing to reverse into a parking space and proactively back up to yield.

When encountering a large truck on a narrow road, it can also proactively reverse based on the available passing space and let the other vehicle go first.

Automatic parking has also been upgraded.

The new algorithm raises parking perception accuracy from 15 cm to 5 cm, improving the precision of parking maneuvers in extremely narrow spaces and scenarios where vehicles on both sides are tightly adjacent.

Exit-and-park has also added an automatic start function when the door is closed, eliminating the need to long-press the door handle to activate it. According to Li Auto's calculations, the total time for exit-and-park in extremely narrow spaces can be shortened by at least one third.

The new version of assisted driving will be pushed via OTA 9.2 to models on the M100 smart driving platform, while older models equipped with NVIDIA Thor and Orin-X will also receive the OTA 8.7 upgrade in early November.

At this point, the Lianshan battery, M100 chip, and M100 VLA — the core technology system Li Auto has built for pure electric vehicles — have begun to be deployed in concentrated form on the i6.

Technologies previously first applied to higher-end models have thus entered the mainstream market priced around 250,000 yuan. Li Auto's years of self-developed investment are also entering a phase of larger-scale mass-production application.

Beyond the electric powertrain and intelligent features, the 2026 Li Auto i6 also brings a series of updates to comfort and convenience configurations.

First is the most visually direct change inside the cabin: the screens.

The front row is now equipped with a 29-inch 6K panoramic screen, replacing the previous two 15.7-inch screens, while the rear row offers an optional 21-inch 4K entertainment screen, bringing display specifications further in line with flagship models.

The accompanying cockpit chip has also been upgraded from the Qualcomm 8295 to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8797.

The new car also adds Apple CarPlay, Huawei HiCar and Carlink phone connectivity, and upgrades to a low-power UWB Sentry Mode.

According to figures released by Li Auto, the new Sentry Mode consumes about 1 kWh of electricity every two days, with energy consumption reduced to one fifth of the original.

The seat upgrades are equally notable. The front row now comes standard with dual zero-gravity seats, supporting a maximum 150-degree lie-flat position, 16-way power adjustment, four-way leg rests and 18-point full-body kneading massage.

Compared with the previous model's 10-point back massage, the massage coverage now extends to the seat cushion, and the leg rests also add heating.

Li Auto even raised the lower part of the dashboard by 40 millimeters, freeing up more legroom for taller passengers.

The rear row retains the queen seat design, with the maximum recline angle increased from 125 degrees to 140 degrees, further improving lying comfort.

Other comfort features also received detailed updates, such as five-zone climate control, a vanity mirror with adjustable color temperature and brightness, front-row overhead lighting, and a larger center armrest storage box.

The rear refrigerator is upgraded to an electric door, supports freezing down to minus 6 degrees, and its inner liner can be removed directly for cleaning; the 67W Type-C charging port has also been moved to the center armrest, making it easier for passengers to use their phones while lying down.

On the exterior, the 2026 i6 adopts the same ADB matrix headlights as the Li Auto MEGA.

According to official figures, the new headlights' low-beam illumination intensity is increased by 20%, the high-beam range is extended by nearly 30%, and a new cornering auxiliary light is added, widening the lateral lighting angle from 45 degrees to 70 degrees.

ADB adaptive high beams can also adjust the lighting area based on the position of vehicles ahead, reducing glare for other vehicles.

Another highly requested feature is the power frunk.

The new car supports multiple opening methods, including the phone app, the in-car system, voice control and tapping the front of the car, and the opening height can be customized; it is equipped with dual electric struts, a double-layer seal ring and a nighttime warning light.

It is worth noting that Li Auto did not reserve the power frunk exclusively for new owners.

At the launch event, Liu Jie clearly announced that the 2025 Li Auto i6 will also open a paid upgrade program for the power frunk, expected to officially launch in December.

As for the driving experience, the new model continues to come standard with front double wishbone and rear five-link all-aluminum suspension, as well as dual-chamber air springs and CDC continuously variable damping shock absorbers.

The chassis hardware basically continues from the 2025 model, with key optimizations to brake pedal feel and steering response, making the vehicle more agile when changing lanes and cornering.

In fact, just two days before the launch event, Li Auto specially held a 3.5-hour teardown livestream to respond to outside doubts about the new model's materials and chassis cost-cutting, disassembling and displaying components such as the screens, seats, battery and chassis one by one.

Li Xiang's statement on this was: Building a car is not building a black box, and even less a rush-built car.

Finally, the most closely watched aspect: pricing. Li Auto product line head Liu Jie previously stated clearly during the Paris Auto Show that the old i6 already had very thin gross margins, and the new model adds a large number of features, leaving no room for further price cuts.

At the launch event, Li Auto announced that the 2026 i6 continues to adhere to a single standard configuration, with an official price of 249,800 yuan, exactly the same as the 2025 model.

However, during the initial sales period, customers can enjoy an additional 10,000 yuan cash discount, bringing the benefit price directly to 239,800 yuan.

In addition, the new car offers a dual-Mach package option, including two Mach M100 chips with total computing power of 2,560 TOPS, the addition of three solid-state lidars to achieve four-lidar perception coverage, and front-row power doors.

On delivery, Li Auto has also specially prepared limited near-inventory cars; customers can choose directly from preset color, interior and configuration combinations, with delivery in as fast as 1 to 2 weeks, while customized new cars are expected to begin delivery in about 3 weeks.

Overall, Li Auto has indeed made a considerable effort.

Especially for an automaker that is undertaking substantial R&D investment while hoping to continue expanding pure electric sales, the balance between product competitiveness and profitability is clearly becoming increasingly important.

Li Auto product line head Liu Jie said that the 2026 i6 launch event should be Li Auto's last launch event this year.

In fact, even without saying it, one can sense that the i6 has special significance for Li Auto.

Just over a year ago, Li Auto's pure electric transition was still facing considerable pressure. The Li Auto MEGA opened up the pure electric market with its unique product design, but its relatively high-end positioning limited sales volume; the subsequently launched i8 also did not quickly replicate the market performance of the extended-range L series.

It was not until September 2025, when the i6 launched with a starting price of 249,800 yuan, that Li Auto truly gained a pure electric model capable of sustained volume sales.

Cumulative deliveries over one year reached nearly 190,000 units, entering the top three in sales among pure electric models priced above 200,000 yuan for eight consecutive months.

Li Xiang also revealed that the i6's user NPS (Net Promoter Score) reached 80.2 points, that users born after 1995 account for the highest share across Li Auto's entire lineup, and that among trade-in customers, BMW 3 Series owners are the most numerous.

This means Li Auto has finally found, beyond its extended-range models, a pure electric product path validated by the market, and has begun attracting a younger user group different from its past customers.

But the strong sales of a single model have not yet fully translated into an improvement in Li Auto's overall operations.

Financial reports show that in the second quarter of 2026, Li Auto delivered a total of 98,300 new vehicles, down 11.5% year on year; revenue was approximately 25.7 billion yuan, down 15.1% year on year.

The more obvious change occurred on the profitability side. In that quarter, Li Auto posted a net loss of 1.705 billion yuan, and the gross margin of its automotive business fell to 9.4%, a full 10 percentage points lower than the 19.4% in the same period a year earlier.

Although deliveries rebounded to close to 100,000 units in the third quarter, restoring profitability remains an important task for Li Auto.

And this is closely related to the i6's product positioning and cost structure.

On the one hand, the i6 has become an important pillar of Li Auto's pure electric sales, and its lower price has also expanded the brand's user coverage; on the other hand, the 250,000-yuan-class pure electric SUV is itself one of the most fiercely competitive segments, with models such as the Tesla Model Y and Xiaomi YU7 all competing for the same group of users.

Pure electric platforms, large-capacity batteries, advanced driver assistance and comfort features are becoming increasingly widespread, and consumers' demands on products continue to rise.

New models require more investment in hardware and technical resources, yet their prices are hard to raise in tandem. Especially for Li Auto, which continues to invest in in-house development, simply adding features and expanding sales is no longer enough to support long-term competition.

The reuse efficiency of technology platforms, economies of scale and product gross margins are becoming more important business variables.

Li Auto is clearly laying the groundwork for this as well.

From starting to study in-house chip development in 2021, to mass production of the M100 Mach chip in 2026, and then to the rollout of the Lianshan battery system, Li Auto has invested continuously in underlying technologies for many years.

Now, these investments are expanding their application scope through mainline models such as the i6.

Unlike flagship models with starting prices above 400,000 yuan, the i6 directly targets the larger 250,000-yuan-class market, and sustained, stable sales may help Li Auto spread the fixed costs of its in-house technologies and improve platform reuse efficiency.

More interestingly, Li Auto has also begun seeking new commercialization space for its in-house technologies.

On October 16, Li Auto announced that its Shanghai Mahe Chip Technology, which engages in chip and domain controller businesses, had reached a 1.625 billion yuan equity financing arrangement, including 625 million yuan that external investors plan to contribute.

Li Auto also revealed that in the future, in addition to using Mach chips in its own vehicles, it will explore industrial opportunities outside the automotive sector to further expand the scale of technology application.

In-house technologies are beginning to extend from an input in vehicle R&D into technology assets with independent commercial value.

At the same time, the i6's mission will be further expanded to overseas markets.

On October 12 this year, Li Auto made its first appearance at the Paris International Motor Show, bringing the i6, named Li 6 overseas, and officially announcing its European strategy.

According to the plan, in the first quarter of 2027, Li Auto will enter the European market, with the Li 6 first going on sale and being delivered in Norway and the Netherlands, and then gradually expanding to other European countries.

This is also the important backdrop to Li Xiang's proposal to make the i6 a global hit.

Today, Li Auto's in-house batteries and chips are beginning to enter its mainline models, and its global layout is gradually unfolding, as Li Auto tries to let the technical capabilities it has accumulated over many years bear greater commercial responsibility.

However, the family-car product definition that Li Auto excels at is no longer a path few have taken. Large space, comfortable cabins, fast charging and advanced driver assistance are gradually becoming the competitive foundation of the mainstream price band.

In such an industry environment, the lead window that a hit model can bring is growing shorter and shorter.

For Li Auto, building a bestselling pure electric car is an important step in its transformation.

Making the i6 support the next round of technology investment and corporate growth is the harder step.