Li Auto, China's best-selling homegrown premium car brand, has confirmed it will launch in the UK in autumn 2027. The company announced the plan at the Paris motor show, marking a significant step in its push into Europe and a direct challenge to established premium rivals such as BMW.
The brand's European rollout will begin with the i6, a large electric SUV that was China's best-selling premium model up to the end of August this year. The i6 will go on sale first in Norway and the Netherlands from spring 2027. Li Auto has not disclosed which model will come to the UK, but its head of international business, Nestor Wu, said the brand's line-up will target family buyers with both pure electric and range-extender options.
«Families have different market needs. That's what we focus on and succeed in China, and we think it will work here,» Wu said. The range-extender technology, which uses a petrol engine to generate electricity for the battery, is central to Li Auto's identity. The company built its reputation on such vehicles before moving into pure electric cars with the Mega MPV.
The i6 measures 4,950mm long and will be priced to roughly match the BMW iX3, according to Wu. In the UK, the iX3 starts at £53,250 in 40 form, offering up to 395 miles of range and 320bhp. The rear-wheel-drive i6 produces 335bhp from a 96kWh battery, delivering a WLTP range of 398 miles. A four-wheel-drive version with 563bhp reduces that range to 348 miles. Charging power is quoted at 500kW, exceeding the iX3's 400kW capability, although the German car offers more range on a like-for-like basis.
Li Auto has adapted the i6 for European tastes, fitting locally sourced air springs to give it more dynamic handling than the version sold in China, where customers prefer a softer ride. Inside, the i6 places most controls on a vast 29-inch touchscreen that extends across to the passenger side, while the driver gets an ultra-wide head-up display.
Alongside the i6, Li Auto showed the latest version of its Mega model, called the Megahome. The 5,355mm-long electric vehicle is available in right-hand drive and features second-row seats that swivel and fold down into a bed mode. Both the Megahome and i6 can be specified with a 21-inch drop-down rear screen.
The UK launch will test whether Li Auto's family-focused formula can translate to a market where premium electric SUVs are already fiercely contested. The company's decision to price the i6 against the BMW iX3 signals its ambition to compete directly with established European brands rather than undercut them on price. For British buyers, the arrival adds another Chinese challenger to a segment already populated by rivals from Tesla, Hyundai and a growing number of domestic and imported alternatives.
Li Auto's move comes as Chinese manufacturers increasingly look beyond their home market for growth. The brand's European push begins in Norway and the Netherlands, two markets with high electric vehicle adoption, before the UK entry the following autumn. The company has not yet confirmed which model will lead its British launch or how extensive its dealer and service network will be.