Li Auto plans to begin selling the i6 electric SUV in Europe during the fourth quarter of 2026, with the model set to debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. The Chinese automaker also intends to start Li L9 sales in Dubai in September, according to executives speaking on the company's second-quarter earnings call on August 26, 2026.

Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI; HKG: 2015) CEO Li Xiang told analysts that "the i6 will launch at the October Paris Motor Show," marking the company's first appearance at a top-tier European auto show. The 2026 edition of the show, also known as the Mondial de l'Auto, runs from October 12 to 18 in Paris. Li Auto has been preparing for the region through a research and development center in Munich tasked with adapting models to European regulations and driving habits, along with membership in the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU, which it joined in February 2026. Executives have said every new model going forward will complete overseas regulatory adaptation during the development phase rather than as an afterthought.

The i6 will serve as Li Auto's lead product for entering Europe, a shift from the extended-range technology the brand relies on in most other overseas markets. The battery electric SUV launched in China in September 2025 starting at 249,800 CNY (c. $37,200), rising to 277,800 CNY (c. $41,300) for a dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant. The rear-wheel-drive version offers a CLTC-rated range of 720 km (447 miles) from an 87.3 kWh CATL-supplied LFP battery, with 5C charging capable of adding 500 km (311 miles) of range in 10 minutes.

President Ma Donghui said the company "plans to begin sales in Dubai in September," extending a Middle East rollout that already includes Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Li Auto launched the newest L9 in Kazakhstan on July 24, 2026, alongside a partnership with local group Allur to assemble vehicles at a plant in Kostanay, the automaker's first overseas production base. An initial retail presence in Uzbekistan opened in October 2025.

The current-generation L9 launched in China on May 15, 2026, priced from 459,800 CNY (c. $68,400) for the Ultra trim and 509,800 CNY (c. $75,800) for the range-topping Livis variant. It pairs a third-generation 1.5-liter range extender with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system producing 420 kW (563 hp) and 710 N·m of torque, reaching 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. A 72.7 kWh battery delivers a 420 km (261-mile) pure-electric range and 1,650 km (1,025 miles) combined, with 5C supercharging taking the pack from 10 to 80 percent in about 10 minutes. Li Auto has said the version headed to the Middle East carries additional hardware and software tuning for charging performance and cabin air conditioning thermal management in high-temperature conditions.

The current-generation Li L9, which begins Dubai sales in September, pictured on its May 2026 China launch. (Li Auto)

Li Auto enters Europe later than several domestic rivals. BYD, Chery, SAIC, and XPeng have already built a combined 14.2 percent share of Western Europe's battery electric vehicle sales through the first five months of 2026, roughly 171,800 vehicles, even as the EU layers duties of up to 35.3 percent on top of a standard 10 percent import tariff for certain Chinese-made EVs. The UK, which did not adopt the additional EU tariffs, has emerged as the largest single market for Chinese brands in the region, a dynamic Li Auto will need to weigh as it plots where the i6 lands first.

The Dubai launch builds on dealer agreements Li Auto signed in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the spring, appointing Al Fahim Motors and Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors, respectively, as local partners. Extended-range models from the L-series have been positioned as the brand's primary offering across the Middle East and Central Asia, a region where charging infrastructure remains uneven and range-extender technology sidesteps range anxiety.

Li Auto's overseas footprint has widened elsewhere in 2026 as well. The automaker entered Macau, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar in May, adding to earlier moves into Southeast Asia. A right-hand-drive version of the Li MEGA flagship MPV is scheduled to launch in Hong Kong and Singapore by the end of the year, with a right-hand-drive i6 expected to follow in those markets afterward.

The international push comes as Li Auto works through a rough patch at home. Second-quarter revenue fell 15.1 percent year-on-year to 25.7 billion CNY (c. $3.8 billion), deliveries dropped 11.5 percent to 98,330 vehicles, and the company posted a net loss of 1.7 billion CNY (c. $253 million), compared with a profit a year earlier. Gross margin compressed to 11.0 percent from 20.1 percent, though both figures improved sequentially from the first quarter.

Looking ahead, Li Auto guided to third-quarter deliveries of 95,000 to 100,000 vehicles and revenue of 26.6 billion to 28.0 billion CNY (c. $4.0 billion to $4.2 billion), which would mark a modest sequential gain over the second quarter. Executives have framed the international rollout, alongside refreshed models such as the current L9 and the upcoming i9, as central to stabilizing margins after a year of heavier discounting in China's crowded EREV and BEV segments.

Even with the softer results, the i6 has kept factory lines busy. Li Auto rolled its 100,000th i6 off the production line by April 10, 2026, less than seven months after launch, and a headlight supply shortage briefly trimmed output by roughly 4,000 units in July. Whether that domestic demand carries over once the i6 and L9 reach unfamiliar dealer networks in Paris and Dubai may say more about Li Auto's overseas ambitions than either announcement does on its own, particularly with tariff-hardened European buyers and heat-tested Gulf drivers presenting very different tests of the same expansion strategy.

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