Chinese brand best known for its wild people mover plans right-hand drive push

Premium brand Li Auto is the latest Chinese automaker to confirm plans to enter right-hand drive markets, with Australia shaping up as a possibility.

“For right-hand drive markets, in addition to launching Li Mega in Hong Kong SAR and Singapore by the end of this year, we'll also be rolling out the right-hand drive version of the Li i6 to complete our model lineup in the right-hand drive market,” said Li Auto chairman and CEO Xiang Li in a second-quarter earnings call.

“We aim to position Li Auto as a premium brand in overseas markets as well, and we will carefully manage our pace, tailoring our approach to our strengths and the unique dynamics of each market.”

Mr Li founded his eponymous automaker in 2015, unveiling the brand’s first model – the Li One extended-range electric SUV in 2018. The brand specialises in large SUVs and people movers with electric (EV) or extended-range electric (EREV) powertrains.

Its wildest model is one of the two confirmed for right-hand drive production, a huge electric people mover appropriately called the Mega, which entered production in 2024.

It measures 5355mm long, 1965mm wide and 1850mm tall on a 3300mm wheelbase, making the seven-seat people mover larger than even the Zeekr 009.

Like the 009, it features air suspension and an electric powertrain.

It’s offered only with a 413kW/657Nm dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain, good for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds, while its big 108kWh ternary lithium battery provides 710km of range on the CLTC cycle and has a DC fast-charge rate of “greater than 520kW”.

The Mega features double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension.

Other notable hardware includes an 800V active anti-tilt system, continuously variable damping, rear-wheel steering, and steer-by-wire.

Inside, every seat is finished in Nappa leather, with the first two rows featuring heating, ventilation, an 18-point hot-stone massage function, heated pillows, and power four-way legrests. There are also heated leather door and seat armrests, while the second-row seats can swivel to face the third row and a ‘floating combination table’.

Even the third-row seats feature heating and ventilation plus pillows, power backrest adjustment, and power-folding functionality.

In terms of screens, there’s a 29-inch OLED 6K display up front, and a 21-inch OLED 4K display in the rear.

Other luxury features include a 33-speaker 5440W sound system, a ‘dual panoramic skylight’ with a power sunshade, a 10L refrigerator that can also be used to heat and freeze items, active road noise cancellation, and a ‘velvet’ headliner.

The suite of active safety and driver-assist technology is powered by eight radar and four LiDAR units, and a Navigation on Autopilot system can handle intersections and lane changes autonomously, and is even claimed to be able to detour around obstacles.

More recent Li Auto models such as the i6 and i8 have featured the same futuristic design language as the Mega.

The i6 is Li Auto’s best-selling model in China, with Best Selling Cars Blog reporting it was the third most popular vehicle in China in the first half of this year – outsold by only the Geely Xingyuan (aka EX2) and Tesla Model Y.

It measures 4950mm long, 1935mm wide and up to 1670mm tall on a 3000mm wheelbase, making it almost identical in size to a BMW iX.

It has an 87.3kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that supports 5C supercharging, with up to 500km of range able to be added in 10 minutes.

There’s a choice of a 250kW/425Nm single-motor rear-wheel drive powertrain, offering 720km of CLTC range and a claimed 0-100km/h time of 6.5 seconds, and a 400kW/660Nm dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain with 660km of range and a 4.5-second sprint time.

Continuous damping control is standard and dual-chamber air suspension optional, with the i6 featuring double-wishbone front and five-link rear suspension.

Like the Mega, it’s offered in a single, highly specified trim level, though it’s not quite as sumptuous as its more expensive sibling.

Nevertheless, you still get a 15.7-inch 3K touchscreen infotainment system, a 15.7-inch 3K passenger display, heated and ventilated front and rear seats, a 10-point massage function for the front seats, and an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) suite that uses radar and a LiDAR unit.

Options include a smart refrigerator and a 21.4-inch 3K rear cabin display.

Li Auto says it’ll focus on EREVs in export markets such as the Middle East and Central Asia, while in Europe it’ll focus on EVs.

It’s one of a growing number of premium Chinese brands expanding beyond the home market.

In Australia alone, there’s Geely-owned Zeekr, which launched here late in 2024, and BYD-owned Denza, which commenced customer deliveries early this year.

Avatr, a more premium brand than Deepal under the Changan umbrella, is also planning a local launch, while Hongqi has confirmed it’ll debut here early in 2027.

Mr Li says he’s aware of the challenges his brand will face outside of its home market, where it has been phenomenally well-received.

“Expanding overseas comes with its own set of challenges, particularly uncertainties around the geopolitical environment and market regulations,” he said.

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