Li Auto's Li L9 first production vehicles to roll off line on Aug 18

Deliveries of the Li L9 will begin this month, and Li Auto expects the model's volume to exceed 10,000 units in September.

(Image credit: Li Auto)

The first production units of Li Auto's new SUV, the Li L9, will roll off the production line at the company's plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, on August 18.

Local auto magazine Auto Review shared the information Monday on Weibo, saying there will be a rollout ceremony for the Li L9 at that time, without providing any further information.

Li Auto officially launched the Li L9 on June 21, the company's second model after the Li ONE SUV, following its predecessor's extended-range technology.

The Li L9 is priced at the same flat rate as the Li ONE at RMB 459,800 ($68,650), up RMB 110,000 from the Li ONE's RMB 349,800.

The Li L9 is a full-size SUV with a length, width and height of 5,218 mm, 1,998 mm and 1,800 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 3,105 mm, nearly identical to the top-tier family SUVs from German luxury carmakers Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

On June 24, Li Auto said the Li L9 had received more than 30,000 orders within 72 hours of the vehicle being available for reservation.

On August 1, the company said the Li L9 had amassed more than 50,000 orders since its June 21 launch, with more than 30,000 confirmed non-refundable orders.

Li Auto founder, chairman and CEO Li Xiang said on Weibo on June 4 that the model would be officially delivered to customers in August and deliveries could exceed 10,000 in September.

Li Auto began allowing users to test drive the Li L9 in the second half of July, but two accidents regarding the test cars led the company into the spotlight.

In a conference call after announcing its second-quarter earnings on Monday, Li Auto management said it still sees strong consumer demand coming in for the Li L9, maintaining its expectation of more than 10,000 deliveries of the model in September.

Notably, the company's management acknowledged that the Li L9 is eating into demand for the existing model, the Li ONE. However, the new Li Auto model, the Li L8, will see an earlier release than one would expect.

Li Auto launches second model, Li L9, with similar size to Mercedes-Benz GLS and less than half the price