Category: Li Auto

Insurance registrations for week ending Apr 30: Tesla 11,500, Li Auto 8,100, NIO 2,600

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date May 5, 2023

Li Auto shared the numbers, saying its sales last week far outpaced those of other local new car-making brands.

Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) today shared sales figures for the major new car makers as well as luxury car companies in China for the last week of April, which is worth a look, even though many automakers have already announced deliveries for last month.

For the week ending April 24 to April 30, Li Auto sold 8,100 units, far more than any other new carmaker brand, it said today on Weibo.

Li Auto continues to be in the top five luxury brands selling in China, the highest-ranking Chinese brand on the list, outpacing other traditional luxury brands besides Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi in weekly sales, it said.

Li L7 delivered more than 10,000 units in its first full delivery month, making it one of the preferred luxury five-seat SUVs for more families, Li Auto said.

Li Auto didn't specify what statistic that sales figure was based on, though apparently it was insurance registrations. Its figures for the first three weeks of April were 7,200, 6,300 and 4,177.

Previously, we had access to those numbers every Tuesday, and it was Li Auto's practice to share some of them later to show off that it was leading the pack among car-making newcomers.

The major third-party providers of Chinese auto insurance registrations data, as well as Weibo bloggers, stopped sharing them in April, though Li Auto continues to share some of them.

Li Auto delivered 25,681 vehicles in April, another monthly high while surpassing the 20,000-delivery mark for the second consecutive month, according to data it released on May 1.

Tesla vehicles sold 11,500 units in China last week, according to a table shared by Li Auto. The figure for Tesla was 10,300, 12,500 and 6,973 units in the previous three weeks.

The US electric vehicle maker sold 75,842 China-made vehicles in April, including exports, according to data released earlier today by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

The sales include sales in China as well as exports, and the breakdown is expected to be available in the coming days.

NIO (NYSE: NIO) sold 2,600 units last week, according to Li Auto. The company sold 2,000, 700 and 1,316 units in the first three weeks of April, according to the previous data.

NIO's deliveries in April fell further to 6,658 units, as its product switchover continues, according to data released on May 1.

XPeng (NYSE: XPEV) saw sales of 2,500 units last week. It sold 1,900, 1,300 and 904 units in the first three weeks of April.

XPeng delivered 7,079 vehicles in April, down 21.36 percent from 9,002 a year ago, but up 1.1 percent from 7,002 in March.

Zeekr sold 2,300 units last week, a figure that was 2,100, 1,600 and 1,476 units in the first three weeks of April.

Neta, Denza, and Leapmotor sold 3,200, 2,700, and 2,600 units last week, respectively.

Among the luxury brands, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi had the highest sales last week with 19,400, 15,700 and 14,500 respectively, according to data shared by Li Auto.

The post Insurance registrations for week ending Apr 30: Tesla 11,500, Li Auto 8,100, NIO 2,600 appeared first on CnEVPost.

For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.

Tags Leapmotor, Li Auto, Neta, Tesla, XPeng, Zeekr

China China EV Market Insight Earnings Electric eMobility eV Li Auto Research Note

Li Auto Q1 earnings preview: Shifting to higher gear

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date May 4, 2023

With sales near the low end of guidance, Li Auto's performance in the first quarter is expected to be somewhat mixed, but the outlook for delivery in the second quarter will be robust, according to Edison Yu's team. | Li Auto US | Li Auto HK

Li Auto Q1 earnings preview: Shifting to higher gear-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) will report its unaudited financial results for the first quarter on Wednesday, May 10, before the US markets open. As usual, Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu's team provided their preview.

Li Auto continues to be the best-performing Chinese electric vehicle stock this year, which is well deserved, though it is expected to have a somewhat mixed quarter as sales approached the lower end of the original outlook, Yu's team said in a research note sent to investors today.

The automaker's management team took advantage of strong initial orders from customers in the premium SUV segment to quickly increase deliveries of new models, the team noted.

Yu's team expects a robust delivery outlook for Li Auto in the second quarter, supported by wide availability of the Li L7 and lower-priced versions of the Li L7 and Li L8.

"Positioning-wise, Li Auto remains the clear favorite in the group and likely stays there unless evidence of softening demand emerges later in the year," the team wrote.

First-quarter earnings preview

Yu's team expects Li Auto to report revenue of RMB 17.7 billion yuan in the first quarter, with a gross margin of 20.7 percent and adjusted earnings per share of 0.40.

The team's model assumes an increase in operating expenses relative to the fourth quarter.

This compares to the current analyst consensus estimates of RMB 18.9 billion, 20.5 percent and 0.49, respectively, in a Bloomberg survey.

Yu's team expects Li Auto's vehicle margin to increase by just 50 basis points sequentially, as average selling prices come under some pressure.

Li Auto delivered a record 52,584 vehicles in the first quarter, near the lower end of its previously provided guidance range of 52,000 to 55,000 vehicles.

Its revenue guidance for the first quarter was RMB 17.45 billion to RMB 18.45 billion, implying year-on-year growth of 82.5 percent to 93 percent.

Li Auto Q1 earnings preview: Shifting to higher gear-CnEVPost

Gearing up for big second quarter

For second-quarter delivery guidance, Yu's team expects Li Auto's management to target around 75,000 units, supported by deliveries of the Li L7 throughout the quarter and wide availability of the cheaper Air versions of the Li L7 and Li L8.

Li Auto launched the Li L7, its first five-seat SUV, on February 8.

The Li L7 is the least expensive in its product array, with Pro as well as Max versions starting at RMB 339,800 and 379,800 respectively. The Li L7 is available in a lower-priced Air version, starting at RMB 319,800.

Deliveries of the Li L7 Pro and the Li L7 Max began on March 11, and deliveries of the Li L7Air began in late April.

Li Auto is also offering an Air version of the Li L8, with a starting price of RMB 339,800. The Li L8 was previously available in Pro and Max versions with starting prices of RMB 359,800 and RMB 399,800, respectively.

Li Auto's other model, the flagship Li L9, is currently available only in the Max version, with a starting price of RMB 459,800.

Compared to NIO (NYSE: NIO), Li Auto has launched its latest model very efficiently, capturing the initial wave of demand, which is very important in a highly competitive market driven increasingly by product cycles, Yu's team said.

In terms of gross margin, the team expects improvement on a sequential basis as production scales up and battery input costs fall.

Li Auto CFO is conservatively aiming for a gross margin of above 20 percent, given battery costs and a volatile macro backdrop, Yu's team noted, adding that they see 22 percent-23 percent as more realistic, with further upside dependent on battery input costs and average selling prices.

The real test for the company will come later this year, when it will struggle to maintain demand momentum with its three relatively large EREV SUVs in the face of increased competition, the team said.

Some cannibalization will naturally occur among Li Auto's models, but that will likely be offset by share gains from legacy foreign brands, Yu's team said.

The Li L9 sales have already dropped from 10,582 units in December to 5,831 units in March. Since September, foreign brands have lost about 7 percentage points of market share in the premium SUV segment, the team said.

The slow recovery in Chinese auto sales in recent months is something Yu's team attributes to customers prioritizing spending elsewhere after the Covid reopening and recognizing that car prices could fall further, and therefore not rushing to buy.

China's car sales have been slow to recover in recent months, and Yu's team attributes that to customers prioritizing spending elsewhere after the Covid reopening and recognizing that car prices could fall further and therefore not rushing to buy.

In terms of positioning, Li Auto remains the most popular of the Chinese EV startups and is likely to stay there unless there are signs of softening demand or a decline in execution, the team said.

Li Auto CEO predicts China NEV penetration to exceed 80% by Dec 2025

The post Li Auto Q1 earnings preview: Shifting to higher gear appeared first on CnEVPost.

For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.

China Deliveries Electric eMobility eV EV Data Li Auto Monthly Data

Li Auto delivers record 25,681 vehicles in Apr, Li L7 delivers over 10,000

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date May 1, 2023

April was the first full month of deliveries for Li Auto's cheaper five-seat SUV, the Li L7. | Li Auto US | Li Auto HK

Li Auto delivers record 25,681 vehicles in Apr, Li L7 delivers over 10,000-CnEVPost

Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) saw record deliveries last month as the new, cheaper SUV, the Li L7, began to contribute significantly to sales.

The Chinese automaker delivered 25,681 vehicles in April, another monthly high while surpassing the 20,000-delivery mark for the second consecutive month, according to data released today.

This represents a 516.29 percent increase over the 4,167 units delivered in the same month last year and a 23.33 percent increase over the 20,823 units delivered in March.

As of the end of April, Li Auto has delivered a total of 335,599 units since its inception.

"We are pleased to have delivered over 10,000 Li L7s in its first full month of deliveries, establishing the vehicle as a preferred choice among five-seat premium SUVs for Chinese families while marking the first time a Chinese branded five-seat SUV priced above RMB300,000 has achieved this monthly delivery milestone," said Li Xiang, chairman and CEO of Li Auto.

"Regarding autonomous driving, we expect to release the city NOA for beta testing in Li AD Max 3.0 this quarter and target to roll out in 100 cities nationwide by the year end," he added.

Li Auto's three models currently on sale -- Li L9, Li L8 and Li L7 -- are extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), which are essentially plug-in hybrids.

The big selling point of these models is that they don't have the range anxiety of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), as they can be charged as well as refueled.

Li Auto launched the Li L7, its first five-seat SUV, on February 8.

The Li L7 is the least expensive of its product array, with Pro as well as Max versions starting at RMB 339,800 ($49,160) and 379,800 respectively. The Li L7 has a lower-priced Air version available, starting at RMB 319,800.

Deliveries of the Li L7 Pro and the Li L7 Max begin on March 11, and deliveries of the Li L7Air begin in late April.

Li Auto also launched an Air version of the Li L8 alongside the Li L7 at a starting price of RMB 339,800. The Li L8 was previously available in Pro and Max versions at RMB 359,800 and RMB 399,800 respectively.

The Li L9 is currently only available in Max version with a starting price of RMB 459,800.

In terms of product planning, Li Auto aims to create a model portfolio of one super flagship, five EREVs and five BEVs by 2025 to meet the diverse needs of families in the price range of 200,000 yuan and above, Li said.

As of April 30, the company had 302 retail stores in 123 cities and 318 service centers and Li Auto-authorized body and paint stores in 222 cities.

($1 = RMB 6.9121)

Li Auto CEO predicts China NEV penetration to exceed 80% by Dec 2025

The post Li Auto delivers record 25,681 vehicles in Apr, Li L7 delivers over 10,000 appeared first on CnEVPost.

For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.

China Deliveries Electric eMobility eV EV Data Insurance Registrations Li Auto Neta Nio Tesla Weekly Data XPeng

Insurance registrations for week ending Apr 23: Tesla 10,300, Li Auto 7,200, NIO 2,000

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date April 25, 2023

NIO sold 2,000 units last week, up from 700 the week before and 1,316 in the first week of April.

Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) maintained strong sales last week, and NIO (NYSE: NIO) saw a significant rebound, the latest data show.

With 7,200 units sold in the week ending April 23, Li Auto far outpaced other new car-making brands, the automaker said today on Weibo.

With deliveries of the Air versions of the Li L8 and Li L7, Li Auto's weekly sales hit another record high, it said.

Li Auto didn't specify what statistic that sales figure was based on, though apparently, it was insurance registrations. Previously, we had access to those numbers every Tuesday, and Li Auto's practice was to share some of them on Wednesdays.

The main third-party agencies and Weibo bloggers that provide data on auto insurance registrations in China stopped sharing the data this month, but Li Auto continues to share some of it.

This is the first time Li Auto has shared those numbers on a Tuesday, though they weren't taken down to single digits.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) sold 10,300 units last week, according to the table shared by Li Auto. That was down from 12,500 units the week before and up from 6,973 units in the first week of April.

NIO sold 2,000 units last week, up from 700 the week before and 1,316 in the first week of April.

XPeng (NYSE: XPEV) sold 1,900 units last week, up from 1,300 units and 904 units in the previous two weeks.

Zeekr sold 2,100 units last week, up from 1,600 units the previous week and 1,476 units in the first week of April.

Among luxury brands, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi had the highest sales last week with 15,800, 15,600 and 14,800 respectively, according to data shared by Li Auto.

Insurance registrations for week ending Apr 16: Tesla 12,500, Li Auto 6,300, NIO 700

The post Insurance registrations for week ending Apr 23: Tesla 10,300, Li Auto 7,200, NIO 2,000 appeared first on CnEVPost.

For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.

Tags Li Auto, Tesla, XPeng, Zeekr

China Electric eMobility eV Expectations Li Auto Li Xiang

Li Auto CEO predicts China NEV penetration to exceed 80% by Dec 2025

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date April 24, 2023

The years 2023-2025 for China's smart EV market will be like the last three years of World War II in history from 1943-1945, said Li Xiang.

China's Mar passenger NEV retail up 23.6% MoM to 543,000, CPCA data show-CnEVPost

Li Xiang, founder, chairman and CEO of Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI), predicted a month ago that China's new energy vehicle (NEV) penetration rate would reach 70 percent by the fourth quarter of 2025.

Now, perhaps fueled by optimism from the Shanghai auto show, he's making an even bolder prediction.

By December 2025, NEVs will account for more than 80 percent of all new vehicle sales in China, Li said in his WeChat status today, adding that the five permanent NEV brands will be born by then.

The years 2023-2025 for China's smart EV market will be like the last three years of World War II in history from 1943-1945, Li said.

Notably, this comes just a month after Li last made a bold prediction.

On March 25, Li said on Weibo that NEVs will contribute 70 percent of new car sales in China by the fourth quarter of 2025.

It's crossing the chasm theory that growth starts to accelerate when a new thing accounts for more than 30 percent, he said.

For the full year 2022, retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China were 5.67 million units, up 90 percent year-on-year, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Retail sales of all passenger vehicles in China in 2022 were 20.54 million units, up 1.9 percent year-on-year. This represents a 27.6 percent penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles in China in 2022.

In March, retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China were 543,000 units, contributing 34.2 percent of all passenger vehicle sales of 1,587,000 units.

In the past few years, annual passenger car sales in China have remained at about 20 million units per year, or about 1.67 million units per month.

If Li's latest forecast turns out to be accurate, it would mean that by December 2025, China's monthly NEV sales will exceed 1.3 million units.

Li Auto is one of the most successful EV startups in China, currently offering three models -- Li L7, Li L8 and Li L9 -- all extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs).

The company delivered 20,823 vehicles in March, the second time since last December that it has exceeded 20,000 units.

Li Auto delivered 52,584 vehicles in the first quarter, up 65.8 percent year-on-year and up 13.53 percent from the fourth quarter of last year.

On April 18, Li Auto officially unveiled its all-electric solution based on the 800 V high-voltage platform, capable of giving a battery electric vehicle (BEV) a 400 km range on a 10-minute charge.

With the release of this solution, Li Auto will officially enter a phase of parallel development of its EREV and BEV product lines. By 2025, Li Auto's product array will include one super flagship model, five EREVs, and five BEVs, it said.

By that time, Li Auto's models for the market priced above RMB 200,000 will fully meet the needs of family users, the company said.

Li Auto could reach 40,000 monthly sales in 2023, exec hints

The post Li Auto CEO predicts China NEV penetration to exceed 80% by Dec 2025 appeared first on CnEVPost.

For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.

China Electric Electric cars eMobility eV Li Auto MPV

Li Auto’s pure electric MPV Whale W01 renderings unveiled, based on EV spy shots

Post author By Jiri Opletal
Post date April 24, 2023

It would be the first pure EV from Li Auto.

The post Li Auto’s pure electric MPV Whale W01 renderings unveiled, based on EV spy shots appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.

C-NCAP China Electric Electric cars eMobility eV Li Auto Li Auto L9 Report

Li Auto L9 scores five stars in C-NCAP crash test

Post author By Denis Bobylev
Post date April 22, 2023

The Li Auto L9 appeared to be one of the safest Chinese SUVs, according to the C-NCAP assessment program, scoring five stars in crash test.

The post Li Auto L9 scores five stars in C-NCAP crash test appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.

C-NCAP China Electric Electric cars eMobility eV Li Auto Li Auto L9 Report

Li Auto L9 scores five stars in C-NCAP crash test

Post author By Denis Bobylev
Post date April 22, 2023

The Li Auto L9 appeared to be one of the safest Chinese SUVs, according to the C-NCAP assessment program, scoring five stars in crash test.

The post Li Auto L9 scores five stars in C-NCAP crash test appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.

China Deliveries Electric eMobility eV EV Data Insurance Registrations Li Auto Neta Nio Tesla Weekly Data XPeng

Insurance registrations for week ending Apr 16: Tesla 12,500, Li Auto 6,300, NIO 700

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date April 20, 2023

NIO's weak performance may be because it is on the eve of multiple product switches, as it will begin deliveries of the new ET7, new ES6, EC7 in May and will begin deliveries of the new ES8 in June.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) kept sales strong last week, while NIO (NYSE: NIO) was weak, the latest data show.

Li Auto sold 6,300 units in the week of April 10 to April 16, far outpacing China's other new car-making brands, the automaker said in an April 19 post to its WeChat account.

Li Auto didn't say what the sales figure was based on, but it was apparently insurance registrations. Previously, we had access to the data every Tuesday, and Li Auto's practice was to share some of it on Wednesdays.

The main source that provides data on auto insurance registrations in China stopped sharing that data this month, but Li Auto continues to share some of it.

Tesla sold 12,500 units last week, according to the data table shared by Li Auto. Tesla's sales in the previous week were 6,973, according to data previously shared by Li Auto.

NIO sold about 700 units last week, according to the data. The electric vehicle maker sold 1,316 units in the previous week.

NIO's weak performance may be because it is on the eve of multiple product switches. It launched the new ET7 and unveiled the new ES6 on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18, with deliveries both set to begin in May.

In addition to the new ET7 and the new ES6, NIO will also start delivering the EC7 coupe SUV in May and will start delivering the new ES8 in June, according to plans it previously annouced.

XPeng sold 1,300 units last week, up from 904 units the week before, according to data shared by Li Auto. XPeng unveiled the new SUV G6 on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18, but pricing information is unknown.

Zeekr sold 1,600 units last week, up from 1,476 the week before. Leapmotor sold 1,700 units last week, up from 1,157 the week before. Neta sold 1,800 units last week, up from 1,526 the week before.

Among premium brands, BMW sold 14,500 cars last week including internal combustion engine vehicles as well as NEVs, Mercedes-Benz 13,400 and Audi 12,600, according to data shared by Li Auto.

Separately, retail sales of NEVs in China from April 1-16 were 223,000 units, up 89 percent year-on-year and up 13 percent from the same period last month, according to data released yesterday by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Considering that NEV retail sales were 91,000 from April 1 to April 9, this means that during the week of April 10 to April 16, NEV retail sales in China were 132,000 units, up 45 percent from the previous week.

From April 10-16, retail sales of all passenger vehicles in China were 335,328 units, up 80 percent year-on-year and up 23 percent from the same period last month, according to the CPCA.