$LI

Li Auto Inc. launched the Li i9, a flagship six-seat battery electric SUV priced at RMB369,800. Deliveries begin this week. The company designs and sells premium smart electric vehicles in China, with a mission to innovate and provide safe, convenient products. Li Auto's stock trades on Nasdaq (LI) and HKEX (2015).

CATL's shares fell 3.84% to a one-year low, down 35% from May's peak, as automakers like Li Auto and Xiaomi diversify battery suppliers. CATL still held a 41.45% market share in August. Competitors Sunwoda, Gotion High-tech, and Farasis Energy saw gains. CATL's H1 2026 revenue was 276.9 billion yuan, with a 23.93% gross margin.

Boston Scientific (BSX), Li Auto (LI), and Rollins (ROL) hit 52-week lows on Friday due to investor concerns. BSX fell 16% weekly on weak Watchman device outlook, LI reported lower Q1 profits and reduced Q2 delivery forecasts, and ROL faced valuation concerns despite strong April performance. Analysts adjusted price targets for all three companies.

Li Auto plans to launch its Li 6 model in Europe this quarter, six years earlier than previously stated, starting with battery electric vehicles to avoid EU duties on extended-range models. The company will showcase the car at the Paris Motor Show next month but has not yet announced pricing or sales channels. Li Auto faces potential tariffs of 20.7% to 45.3% on its vehicles in Europe.

Li Auto is transitioning its models from CATL batteries to in-house developed cells manufactured by Sunwoda. The L8, L6, and i8 already use these cells, with more models to follow. Li Auto invested $390M in Sunwoda EVB, increasing its stake to 11.17%. The i6, launching in Europe as the Li 6, will also use these new batteries. Deliveries are expected to begin in November.

China's 15th Five-Year Plan for the EV industry aims for 70% of passenger-car sales and 40% of commercial-vehicle sales to be NEVs by 2030, with several Chinese carmakers ranking among the world's top 10. The plan also targets consolidation, strict control of new EV manufacturers, and the exit of inefficient capacity. BYD is the only Chinese carmaker currently in the global top 10.

Chinese NEV makers XPeng, Li Auto, BYD, and others are expanding into robotics. XPeng's robotics unit raised $900M, valuing it at $6.3B. Li Auto and NIO are also developing humanoid robots. BYD partnered with PaXini Tech. Automakers leverage their expertise in smart driving and manufacturing for robotics. The Chinese government prioritizes embodied intelligence, projecting a $56.5B market by 2030.

CATL (300750.SZ) shares fell 3.65% on September 8, with market value dropping 54 billion yuan. Li Auto announced it will use self-developed batteries in all models, reducing reliance on CATL. Xiaomi Auto also partnered with CALB and Sunwoda for its batteries. CATL's market share remains high, but automakers are diversifying suppliers and developing in-house batteries to reduce costs and gain bargaining power.

Li Auto will debut its new i9 electric SUV on September 16. The six-seater SUV has a 120 kWh battery, dual motors, and a CLTC range over 800 km. Li Auto plans to phase out CATL batteries, using its own and Sunwoda's instead, after past customer preferences for CATL.

Li Auto Inc. reported a share repurchase of 597,500 shares on August 31, 2026, at an average price of HKD 47.8124 per share. The total cost was HKD 28,567,909. The company is authorized to repurchase up to 214,280,424 shares under its mandate, with 72,662,912 shares repurchased to date. The moratorium period for new share issuance or treasury share sales ends on September 30, 2026.