Li Auto Slips Again: October Deliveries Hit 29,025, Lowest Since February

Li Auto’s delivery run hit another soft patch in October. The Chinese automaker handed over 29,025 vehicles, an 8.63% drop from a year earlier and its second straight month of annual decline, according to figures the company published on Sunday.

Sequentially, volume slipped 8.78% from September’s 31,817 units. That makes October the weakest month for the brand since February, when 26,421 cars reached customers.

The bigger picture is not much friendlier. Through the first ten months of 2026, Li Auto delivered 322,461 vehicles, down 1.96% year-on-year — a gap that has widened from the 1.25% shortfall recorded at the nine-month mark. Cumulative deliveries since the company’s founding now stand at 1,862,676 units.

Two Launches, One Slow Quarter

Part of the explanation sits in the product cycle. Li Auto is mid-way through a refresh of its battery-electric lineup, and buyers tend to wait when a newer, better-equipped version is days away.

The revised Li Mega MPV, unveiled on September 2 with a lower price and hardware upgrades, contributed more than 3,000 units in October. Then came the 2026 Li i6, launched October 28 with deliveries starting the next day.

The five-seat electric SUV now carries Li Auto’s in-house assisted-driving chip, a fresh battery pack and a reworked cabin. Its official starting price holds at 249,800 yuan, though early buyers ordering by November 30 can get in at 239,800 yuan.

Key Specs: Mach M100 assisted-driving chip as standard · 96 kWh Lianshan 5C LFP battery · 780 km CLTC range (RWD) · From 249,800 yuan

Product line chief Li Xinyang said on October 30 that cumulative i6 output had passed 200,000 units. Output is set to climb to 20,000 units a month in November, with another step up in December. New orders currently carry a seven-to-eight-week wait.

The In-House Bet

October was also a technology month for Li Auto. The company rolled out its Lianshan battery, Lianshan electric drive system and a battery warranty programme, all part of a push to lean harder on components it develops itself. An OTA 9.2 update with the Mach VLA 2.5 system and refreshed cockpit AI features is due in November.

On the retail side, Li Auto ended October with 481 stores in 159 cities, plus 527 service centres and authorised workshops across 217 cities. Its charging network reached 4,206 supercharging stations and 23,163 stalls in China — 18 stations and 86 stalls more than at the end of September.

Whether the refreshed i6 and the production ramp translate into a rebound will show up in November’s numbers. For now, the trend line points down, not up.