{"id":1982141,"date":"2026-06-10T08:30:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T05:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1982141"},"modified":"2026-06-10T08:30:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T05:30:26","slug":"the-ups-downs-and-ups-of-li-auto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1982141","title":{"rendered":"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"articleItem\">\n<p>    {&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Article&#8221;,&#8221;image&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__1_.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;mainEntityOfPage&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;WebPage&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/li-auto\/auto-china-2026-report\/&#8221;},&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/industry-news\/li-auto\/auto-china-2026-report\/&#8221;,&#8221;author&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Person&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Curtis Moldrich&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;Curtis Moldrich is CAR magazineu2019s Digital Editor and has worked for the brand for the past five years. As Digital Editor, heu2019s responsible for online strategy, including CARu2019s website, social media channels such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, and he helps on wider platform strategy as CAR magazine branches out on to Apple Newsu002B, CAR VIP and other new ways to consume our content. If itu2019s online and involves CAR magazine, heu2019s got something to do with it. Curtis also contributes to the print edition of the magazine every month, sits on Bauer Media UKu2019s Diversity and Inclusion pillar group and co-founded the new automotive work experience program.nCurtis kicked off his journalism career doing freelance work for technology brands such as CNET UK and Stuff, and moved to the Telegraph technology desk after completing his degree. He did a stint as staff writer at Dennis Publishingu2019s newly-formed Alphr title, where he covered consumer technology as well as motorsports, sim-racing and car reviews.nAt CAR, Curtisu2019s main goal is to recreate and build on all the kudos, respect and authority of the print magazine across our digital platforms. Heu2019s also keen to explore the opportunities online-only storytelling brings, and wants to put the brand in front of new audiences.nWhen heu2019s not writing about F1, testing hot hatches or analysing the latest EV platform news, Curtis is also a keen gamer, and uses iRacing with a VR-enabled set-up. He also continues to write about consumer tech for our sister site, Whatu2019s The Best.nOutside of his four-wheeled work commitments, Curtis owns a new Yamaha R7, which he sometimes writes about for MCN, and often photographs along with other motoring-based content on his popular Instagram page. You can follow Curtis on Instagram or Twitter u2013 and read his latest articles in the list below. He is also running an Audi S3 long-termer, and you can read about that here.&#8221;,&#8221;image&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ImageObject&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/14235\/curtisauthor2023.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;caption&#8221;:&#8221;Curtis Moldrich&#8221;},&#8221;sameAs&#8221;:[&#8220;https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/curtismoldrich\/&#8221;,&#8221;https:\/\/x.com\/khurtizz&#8221;,&#8221;https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/khurtizz&#8221;],&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/curtis-moldrich\/&#8221;,&#8221;jobTitle&#8221;:&#8221;Digital Editor&#8221;,&#8221;knowsAbout&#8221;:&#8221;Automotive&#8221;,&#8221;worksFor&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Organization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;CAR magazine&#8221;}},&#8221;dateModified&#8221;:&#8221;2026-06-10T10:02:24+01:00&#8243;,&#8221;datePublished&#8221;:&#8221;2026-06-10T09:30:26+01:00&#8243;,&#8221;headline&#8221;:&#8221;The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto&#8221;,&#8221;publisher&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Organization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Bauer Media&#8221;,&#8221;brand&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Organization&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Car Magazine&#8221;},&#8221;logo&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ImageObject&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/logos\/car.200&#215;88.png&#8221;}}}<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column xlarge-10 xlarge-push-2\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe ups, downs and ups of Li Auto<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<div class=\"hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"compact-author-info\">\n\tBy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/curtis-moldrich\/\">Curtis Moldrich<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"dates\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dates__date\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPublished: Today 09:30<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"cms-content\">\n<div class=\"in-page-gallery full-width thumbnails-bullets\">\n<ul class=\"carousel\" data-orbit=\"true\" data-options=\"bullets: true; resume_on_mouseout: false; timer: false; variable_height: true; slide_number: false\">\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__1_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__1_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__1_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__1_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__10_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__10_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__10_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__10_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__2_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__2_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__2_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__2_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__3_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__3_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__3_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__3_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__4_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__4_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__4_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__4_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__5_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__5_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__5_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__5_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__6_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__6_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__6_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__6_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__7_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__7_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__7_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__7_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__8_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__8_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__8_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__8_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/auto_china_2026_report__9_.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-assets.bauersecure.com\/images\/1056x594\/transparent.png\" alt=\"The ups, downs and ups of Li Auto\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x270\/auto_china_2026_report__9_.jpg, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x405\/auto_china_2026_report__9_.jpg, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1056x594\/auto_china_2026_report__9_.jpg, (large)]\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"articleContent\">\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/li-auto\/mega\/\" title=\"View all Li-Auto Mega Reviews\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"info-link\"> View all Li-Auto Mega Reviews<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"bold-links\">\n<p><strong>\u25ba We speak to Li Auto head of design, Ben Baum<\/strong><br \/><strong>\u25ba The Li Auto Mega\u2019s rollercoaster in popularity<br \/>\u25ba What China speed really means for car brands<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You may have heard about\u00a0\u2018China\u00a0speed\u2019\u00a0before\u00a0\u2013 the ability to create, develop and produce cars at a rate unlike anything usually seen in the Western world.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Somewhere between motorsport feedback loops and conventional production car\u00a0timeframes, China speed\u00a0relies on mainlining feedback,\u00a0vertical integration\u00a0across the supply chain, technologies such as\u00a0gigacasting \u2013\u00a0and\u00a0enormous\u00a0scale across every aspect.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__2_.jpg?scale=down\" alt class=\"wp-image-264646\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__2_.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x0\/auto_china_2026_report__2_.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1040x0\/auto_china_2026_report__2_.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p><em>Like this? Get more CAR delivered to your browser!\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=carmagazine.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><strong>Click here to add CAR Magazine as a preferred source on Google<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Put it all together and it means some brands\u00a0can move\u00a0a car\u00a0from sketchbook to road in as little as 30 months.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0half the time it usually takes\u00a0for legacy car makers.\u00a0It might be a lot to keep up with from the outside looking in,\u00a0but\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a whole other ball game for the people\u00a0within the vortex.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__3_.jpg?scale=down\" alt class=\"wp-image-264647\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__3_.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x0\/auto_china_2026_report__3_.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1040x0\/auto_china_2026_report__3_.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>To find out just how stressful, this year I reconvened with Li Auto\u2019s\u00a0head of design \u2013 and father of the Mega\u00a0\u2013 Ben Baum. As I go to meet him on the Li Auto stand \u2013 just as I did two years before \u2013 I\u00a0spot\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-news\/first-official-pictures\/li-auto\/mega-ev\/\">Mega\u00a0MPV<\/a>, but there are\u00a0several\u00a0new cars next to it. And two that look as though\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0been birthed from the sci-fi SUV.\u00a0All of them are surrounded by\u00a0crowds, because\u00a0China may have infinite cars,\u00a0but it has\u00a0a\u00a0seemingly\u00a0endless\u00a0amount of interest for each of them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Last time Ben and I spoke, the Mega was the talk of the show \u2013 so it\u2019s a good place to start \u2013 but it has been anything but plain sailing: \u2018It\u2019s a story with ups and downs,\u2019 says Ben, glancing over at the MPV that still looks as forward-thinking now as it did two years ago.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__4_.jpg?scale=down\" alt class=\"wp-image-264648\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__4_.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x0\/auto_china_2026_report__4_.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1040x0\/auto_china_2026_report__4_.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We had an extreme number of pre-orders\u00a0for an\u00a0MPV when we first released the exterior of the car. Like 70,000 to 80,000 pre-orders within two or three weeks, he says. \u2018But\u00a0then\u00a0there was an internet storm.\u2019 Some bad press about the Mega \u2013 which compared the\u00a0rear of the car to a coffin, killed those\u00a0pre-orders\u00a0and turned an excited buzz into a hum of disapproval.\u00a0\u2018This is a very bad thing in China \u2013 like a bad omen.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Now they are back where\u00a0they\u00a0started.\u00a0\u2018It\u2019s the best-selling MPV in\u00a0the\u00a0segment,\u00a0with like\u00a04000 cars a month now, which is actually very, very good for this car,\u2019 says Baum.\u00a0\u2018But it\u2019s had this\u00a0very dramatic curve of first, super successful\u00a0then down for\u00a0eight nine months, and then up again.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__5_.jpg?scale=down\" alt class=\"wp-image-264649\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__5_.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x0\/auto_china_2026_report__5_.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1040x0\/auto_china_2026_report__5_.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>That\u00a0low period\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0great for the Mega, but it had\u00a0repercussions\u00a0for other\u00a0products\u00a0too. China speed meant that both the i6 and i8,\u00a0two electric SUVs\u00a0Li Auto hoped it would sell bucket loads of, were already in the final stages of testing\u00a0\u2013 but they were based on a car that was becoming increasingly unpopular.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps in\u00a0the West that would be the end of the story, but in China the\u00a0i6 and i8\u00a0still had time\u00a0to be\u00a0reworked. And as\u00a0I look around the two SUVs you can see the panic-induced conservatism.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__6_.jpg?scale=down\" alt class=\"wp-image-264650\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__6_.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x0\/auto_china_2026_report__6_.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1040x0\/auto_china_2026_report__6_.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u2018They were more avantgarde\u00a0before,\u2019 Baum admits as\u00a0we\u00a0inspect\u00a0the rears\u00a0of the\u00a0SUVs. \u2018Before we had\u00a0a\u00a0completely different rear end.\u2019 The designer and his team have\u00a0really\u00a0pulled their punches\u00a0here, but the front, with its halo light,\u00a0is like the Mega.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018You\u2019ll find a lot of the original designs on the Chinese internet\u2019 he sighs.\u00a0\u2018Because there\u00a0were already, pre-production models running around.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__7_.jpg?scale=down\" alt class=\"wp-image-264651\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__7_.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x0\/auto_china_2026_report__7_.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1040x0\/auto_china_2026_report__7_.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>The kicker? Chinese public opinion\u00a0also seems\u00a0to move at an accelerated\u00a0speed.\u00a0Just as\u00a0Baum and his team revealed\u00a0the more conservative\u00a0i6 and i8 models\u00a0to consumers, the cloud around the Mega lifted. Now, next to the flagship\u00a0MPV, the two electric SUVs look a little too conservative to my eyes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Baum agrees: \u2018It was a pity,\u2019 he says. \u2018We\u00a0could have gone\u00a0more extreme,\u00a0but for\u00a0us,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0very important\u00a0that every car is successful. You cannot have any failure.\u00a0With these\u00a0ones, we had to take the\u00a0safe route.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__8_.jpg?scale=down\" alt class=\"wp-image-264652\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__8_.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x0\/auto_china_2026_report__8_.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1040x0\/auto_china_2026_report__8_.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>Still, the safe route appears to have worked: the i6 and i8 are\u00a0both\u00a0winning in an\u00a0electric SUV\u00a0sector\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0growing in China just as fast as everywhere else.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018These\u00a0are selling very, very well,\u2019 Baum tells me.\u00a0\u00a0\u2018The\u00a0i6\u00a0sells\u00a0more than 20,000 cars a month\u00a0\u2013 that\u2019s five times more than the Mega.\u2019 The impact of the i6, i8 and\u00a0Mega\u00a0has had a drastic effect on the overall split of powertrains, too:\u00a0Li Auto now sells more EVs than REX cars \u2013\u00a0its traditional heartland.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__9_.jpg?scale=down\" alt class=\"wp-image-264653\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__9_.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x0\/auto_china_2026_report__9_.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1040x0\/auto_china_2026_report__9_.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject show-for-medium-up hide-for-xlarge-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>At the time of writing, it sold 28,000 EVs (Megas, i6s and i8s) a month compared between 6000 to 8000 range-extenders.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0partly because the EVs are newer,\u00a0with fresher tech and design, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0also because\u00a0the range-extended L series is due an imminent update \u2013 but\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0still a dramatic swing. The plan next year? To match the numbers and achieve something closer to 60,000\u00a0sells\u00a0a month.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In addition to that,\u00a0Baum tells me\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0working on the car as a companion rather than a product \u2013 along with all the design and tech solutions that entails. What will that look like? Well,\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0probably\u00a0find\u00a0out in a few months.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__10_.jpg?scale=down\" alt class=\"wp-image-264654\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/480x0\/auto_china_2026_report__10_.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/720x0\/auto_china_2026_report__10_.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/264641\/1040x0\/auto_china_2026_report__10_.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"mpu-inject hide-for-medium-up\">\n<div class=\"mpu-ad advert\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<aside class=\"about-author\">\n<h2 class=\"about-author-heading\">About the author<\/h2>\n<div class=\"about-author-inner\">\n<div class=\"main-author-summary-container\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"main-author-image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/curtis-moldrich\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/14235\/120x120\/curtisauthor2023.jpg?quality=90)\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"main-author-name-container\">\n<div class=\"main-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/curtis-moldrich\/\">Curtis Moldrich<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"main-author-job-title\">Digital Editor<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"main-author-byline\">Curtis Moldrich is CAR magazine\u2019s Digital Editor and has worked for the brand for the past five years. He\u2019s responsible for online strategy, including CAR\u2019s website, social media channels such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, and helps on wider platform strategy as CAR magazine branches out on to Apple News+ and more.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"column show-for-xlarge-up xlarge-2 xlarge-pull-10\">\n<figure class=\"author-info clearfix\">\n<p>\t\t\t<a class=\"author-image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/curtis-moldrich\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/wp-images\/14235\/85x85\/curtisauthor2023.jpg?quality=90)\"><\/a><figcaption>\n<p class=\"author-name\">\n\t\t\tBy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/author\/curtis-moldrich\/\">Curtis Moldrich<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"author-quote\">CAR&#8217;s Digital Editor, F1 and sim-racing enthusiast. 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As Digital Editor, heu2019s responsible for online strategy, including CARu2019s website, social media channels such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, and he helps on wider platform strategy as CAR magazine branches out on to Apple [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[239,226],"class_list":["post-1982141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-carmagazine-co-uk","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1982141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982141\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1982141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1982141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1982141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}