Li Auto opens its European campaign at a golf major as the i6 takes the name Li 6 for export

Li Auto has chosen the 2026 Solheim Cup, the women's team golf contest running through September 13 in the Netherlands, as the stage for its formal entry into Europe. The company has supplied 20 i6 electric SUVs to shuttle players and VIP guests during the tournament, and is also showing a 2025 Mega MPV in the event's fan village.

The automaker confirmed that its i6 will be sold abroad under the name Li 6 and will make its auto-show debut with that badge at October's Paris Motor Show. There, Li Auto intends to present its global product lineup and European business plans, although it has not yet revealed which countries will get the car first, nor its pricing or sales-channel arrangements. International business chief Wu Zuomin said the company hopes to build on the i6's track record at home to win over European families.

On its August 26 earnings call, Li Auto said European sales of the i6 should begin in the fourth quarter. Its regional playbook prioritizes battery-electric models in Europe, while the L-series extended-range SUVs lead in the Middle East and Central Asia — a region where momentum is already building after the refreshed L9 launched in Dubai on September 3, the brand's first official Gulf sales, following earlier debuts in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and an assembly agreement with local group Allur. Distribution will rely on a flexible mix of subsidiaries, dealers and exclusive distributors depending on each market.

The overseas drive comes as deliveries recover at home: Li Auto shipped 37,679 vehicles in August, up 32.07 percent year-on-year, its first annual increase after three straight monthly declines. Still, deliveries of 261,619 units over the first eight months of the year remain 0.6 percent below the same period of 2025.