This spaceship is actually a Li i6 SUV, seen in southern Beijing earlier this month. It had been a windy day with a light sand storm, so most cars on the street were covered in a thick layer of dust. Otherwise, the i6 looked perfect in Pearl White.
The naming can be a bit confusing: in English, Li Auto uses Li Auto as the company name and Li as the consumer-facing brand, hence the Li i6 SUV. In Chinese, the company uses the name 理想 (Lǐxiǎng), which gives the car its Chinese-market name: 理想 i6.
The Li i6
The Li i6 is a five-seat SUV launched in September 2025. It is only the third electric car of the Li brand, after the larger Li i8 SUV and the Li Mega MPV. Earlier, Li only sold EREV SUVs. The move towards electric vehicles has worked very well for Li Auto; the i6 is currently the brand’s best-selling car, reaching the 4th spot in the China-sales charts in April.
The design of the Li i8 is unlike any other SUV. It is all about streamlining, with a super short front, a steeply raked windscreen, and a sloping roofline. The body panels are flat – no messy creases in sight – anywhere.
The interior
Li has been doing the same interior for ages, and, somewhat sadly, the i6 is no exception. It looks great, but nothing new. The eye catcher is the gigantic 15.7-inch 3K touch screen that stretches out to the passenger’s side. The Nappa leather seats are really comfy, with a factory-standard neck pillow. On the center tunnel are two 50W wireless chargers, two cupholders, and loads of storage space.
Li is really good at blacking out the rear windows for privacy; there’s no way to photograph the second row, so I borrowed a pic from Li Auto’s website. There’s a lot of legroom, and the right seat comes with a footrest. The 21.4-inch screen has gesture control; you can literally point at what you want to see – no need for cumbersome control panels or remote controls. The i8 also comes standard with a 1920-watt 21-speaker sound system, a fridge, and a 256-color ambient light system.
Specifications of the Li i6
Li offers RWD and AWD versions of the i6. The car in the photos is the AWD. It has an output of 400 kW and 660 Nm, good for a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds. Li Auto limits the top speed of all of its cars to 180 km/h. The front motor has 150 kW/235 Nm, and the rear motor 250 kW and 425 Nm.
The battery is a CATL 87.3 kWh LFP unit, good for a CLTC range of 660 kilometers. With its 800V architecture, the i6 charges from 10-95% in 15 minutes.
Price of the Li i6
Li keeps things really simple: Chinese consumers can go for the RWD or for the AWD, and both are fully loaded with everything. There are no trim levels or other complicated price differentiators. The only option is a tow hook. The Li i6 AWD version, as it stands here, costs 269.800 yuan, and that’s $39.7K. A good deal indeed, but the competition in this segment is extreme.