Li Auto Schedules Mid-September Premiere for Six-Seat Li i9 Electric Flagship
Li Auto has scheduled a September 16 presentation date for its upcoming Li i9, introducing a full-size six-seater battery-electric sport utility vehicle equipped with opposable zero-gravity seating.
- 5,225 mm (3,168 mm wheelbase)
- 150 kW (201 hp)
- 250 kW (335 hp)
- 120 kWh (>800 km CLTC)
What Happened
Unveiling festivities commence at 7:30 pm on September 16, with showroom evaluation vehicles scheduled to reach retail outlets beginning September 11. Company founder Li Xiang showcased an interior layout featuring rotatable chairs that swivel inward, allowing front and middle passengers to sit face-to-face during stationary or resting intervals.
Government filings recorded with Chinese industrial regulators detail a body footprint measuring 5,225 mm long and 1,970 mm wide with a 3,168 mm wheelbase, standing 1,752 mm high. Powertrain mechanics combine a 150 kW (201 hp) front drive unit alongside a 250 kW (335 hp) rear motor for all-wheel propulsion.
Energy storage relies on a 120 kWh ternary chemistry pack engineered to deliver over 800 km of driving autonomy under CLTC protocols (648 km WLTP). Initial factory customer shipments will incorporate fast-charging 5C cells supplied by CATL before assembly lines transition toward in-house packs developed alongside Sunwoda.
The model launch coincides with an operational delivery recovery. Li Auto handed over 37,679 vehicles in August, achieving a 32.07% year-on-year increase that concluded three consecutive monthly declines and lifted cumulative deliveries to 261,619 units over the first eight months.
Why this matters
The i9 marks Li Auto's second pure battery-electric vehicle following the Mega multi-purpose model, expanding the brand into high-volume electric SUVs. It also initiates the company's operational transition from CATL cell sourcing toward internally engineered battery architecture.
Terms in This Story
- CLTC
- China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle, the national standardized testing metric for evaluating motor vehicle energy efficiency and range.
- 5C
- A battery charging multiplier indicating the ability to complete a full charge cycle in approximately twelve minutes under high-power infrastructure.
A brief summary; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.