On April 13th, the official announcement from Li Auto stated that the recent online rumors regarding “Li Auto’s latest progress in overseas expansion” and “Signing with Uzbekistan” are all false. We would like to clarify that after investigation, the “Uzbekistan Sales Authorization Contract” shown in some online images is not an official action by Li Auto.
Someone created and disseminated the image using Li Auto’s name to spread false information. Furthermore, Li Auto has not organized or hosted any factory visit activities for dealers. Regarding the claims of individuals entering Li Auto’s factory for a visit, Li Auto has collected relevant evidence and reported the matter to the public security authorities. We must await the investigation results from the police for further details.
Event Review
Recapping the events, recently, a netizen posted that Li Auto held a sales authorization signing ceremony with a Uzbekistan dealer in Hangzhou, and the dealer also visited Li Auto’s factory in Changzhou. The pictures appeared to be very formal. Some netizens commented, “With the signing and factory photos, anyone would believe it. This denial feels like a rumor itself.”
According to an automotive blogger, there was even a suggestion that the foreign party might have fallen victim to a scam, resulting in a loss of one million US dollars.
Additionally, a netizen pointed out that Li Auto has not actively pursued export business. Currently, the automobile import and export industry involves over 1,000 companies, many of which are individual entities, leading to intense competition.
Li Auto Introduction
Li Auto is a Chinese manufacturer of new energy vehicles. It was founded in July 2015 and is headquartered in Beijing. The company is involved in the design, research and development, manufacturing, and sales of luxury intelligent electric vehicles.
Through product innovation and technological advancements, Li Auto aims to provide safe and convenient products and services to household users. Li Auto’s founder, Li Xiang, is a renowned serial entrepreneur in China and the creator of Autohome, the world’s most visited automotive website.
Li Auto was listed on the NASDAQ stock market in the United States on July 30, 2020, with the ticker symbol “LI”.
The first product introduced by Li Auto is the Li ONE, which was launched in October 2018. The Li ONE is an intelligent electric SUV with advanced range extension technology and intelligent features, accommodating six occupants comfortably. In 2020, it became the best-selling Chinese new energy SUV and topped sales among domestically produced vehicles priced above 300,000 RMB.
As of the end of June 2022, the cumulative deliveries of the Li ONE have reached 184,491 units. On June 21, 2022, Li Auto officially unveiled its flagship family intelligent SUV, the Li L9.
In 2022, Li Auto successively launched the all-new generation models, the family-oriented six-seat flagship SUV, Li L9, and the luxury six-seat SUV, Li L8. The deliveries of these two models commenced in August and November respectively.
In February 2023, the family-oriented five-seat flagship SUV, Li L7, was released. In its debut month, it sold over 10,000 units, making it the first Chinese brand five-seat SUV priced above 300,000 RMB to achieve such sales. On March 1, 2024, Li Auto unveiled the Li MEGA, a family-oriented technology flagship MPV.As the first 5C high-voltage pure electric model from Li Auto, deliveries for the Li MEGA began on March 11.
As of February 29, 2024, in China,Li Auto has established 475 retail centers covering 142 cities nationwide. It also operates 355 aftersales service and authorized body repair centers, covering 209 cities.