Li Auto to extend self-developed batteries across its lineup as updated i6 lands in Q4

Li Auto will roll batteries developed in-house out to every model it sells, with the refreshed 2026 i6 — carrying the company's own 5C cell and its Mach assisted-driving chip — arriving in the fourth quarter. Pre-orders for the updated five-seat electric SUV open in late September, with first deliveries slated for early November.

The transition is already under way: the L6, L8 and i8 already run on Li Auto's own packs. The new-generation Mega and the i9, a flagship six-seat electric SUV debuting in mid-September, both start out with 5C ternary cells from CATL but will switch entirely to in-house supply once production is ready. Demand for the redesigned Mega, launched September 2 at a lower price, ran so hot that CATL's battery stock for the model was nearly exhausted; customers who lock orders from 3:00 pm Beijing time on September 7 onward will receive vehicles with the self-developed cells, with deliveries from November.

The push rests on years of groundwork. Cell development began in 2020 and now spans 5C cells, battery packs and battery management, while work on the Mach chip started in 2022. Li Auto is also deepening its supply-chain ties: a capital injection into Sunwoda's power battery unit will give it an 8.79 percent direct stake and make it the unit's second-largest single shareholder, on top of a 50-50 battery joint venture formed in 2025.

Cost pressure is a driving factor. Vehicle margin slid to 9.4 percent in the second quarter from 19.4 percent a year earlier, and management said on an August 26 earnings call it would absorb recent cost increases through integrated design, in-house technology and supply-chain optimization rather than raising prices. The i6 remains a pillar of the lineup, with 135,863 units delivered in the first seven months of 2026 despite a July dip to 15,420.