Li Auto’s CEO, Li Xiang, compares his new electric car to the iPhone: “The market has reached a turning point.”
06/09/2026 11:30
Updated to
06/09/2026 11:30
Li Xiang doesn’t seem to have many doubts about the importance of his company’s next vehicle. The CEO of Li Auto has compared the arrival of the new generation of MEGA to one of the biggest turning points in recent technological history, similar to when the first iPhone emerged and transformed a mobile phone market previously dominated by manufacturers like Nokia.
"The single-volume vehicle market has reached a turning point, just like Nokia and the iPhone!" asserts Li Xiang in a post on his Weibo account. The executive argues that the possibilities offered by a fully electric platform allow for rethinking aspects that have shaped this type of car for decades, and he believes the new MEGA represents precisely that break from the past. The vehicle will be officially unveiled on September 2nd.
"The iPhone’s revolution against Nokia" applied to automobiles
Li Xiang’s comparisons go beyond the usual approach of equating a modern car with a smartphone. The founder of Li Auto argues that traditional minivans have historically been burdened by significant constraints stemming from their design. “In the era of gasoline cars, the need to place the engine in the front resulted in insufficient space in the chassis, often leading to the use of the worst suspension systems in minivans,” he explains.
According to the executive, the result was that “neither the driver nor the passengers enjoyed the best driving experience.” Li Auto believes that a purely electric platform eliminates much of these limitations and allows for simultaneous work on both dynamic performance and comfort. Li Xiang claims that surveys conducted among current MEGA owners have already demonstrated the advantages of this architecture.
"The iPhone's revolution against Nokia was achieved through a completely new product definition and the application of multiple innovative technologies, not just through grand announcements at a launch event," says Li Xiang. According to him, the difference shouldn’t lie in adding more features to the traditional minivan formula, but rather in using new technologies to transform the driving experience.
Rear steering and 800-volt active stabilizer bars
The new MEGA will attempt to prove this theory with a significantly more sophisticated chassis. It will feature electronic steering, rear-wheel steering with an angle of up to 7 degrees, and an 800-volt active stabilizer bar system. All of this is combined with independent double-triangle suspension in the front and multi-link suspension at the back, as well as dual-chamber air suspension and shock absorbers with continuous control.
"The 800-volt active stabilizer bar technology makes driving more enjoyable for the driver and reduces dizziness for passengers," says Li Xiang. The other two technologies serve different purposes: "Electronic steering and rear-wheel steering make the new generation of Li Auto MEGA as agile as the Li Auto L6/i6."
This is an especially ambitious claim considering the vehicle’s dimensions. The new MEGA measures 5,355 mm in length, 1,965 mm in width, and 1,850 mm in height, with an enormous wheelbase of 3,300 mm. Additionally, its curb weight reaches 2,925 kg. It retains a seven-seater interior layout arranged in three rows.
562 HP, four LiDAR sensors, and 710 km of range
The new Li Auto MEGA keeps its two electric motors and all-wheel drive, but boosts the combined power to 562 HP. The front motor delivers 210 HP while the rear one increases to 350 HP, with a top speed of up to 200 km/h.
The NMC battery supplied by CATL has a capacity of up to 108 kWh, enabling an estimated range of 710 kilometers under China’s CLTC testing cycle. The vehicle features an 800-volt electrical architecture, and the current MEGA already uses 5C charging technology, allowing Li Auto to claim that approximately 500 kilometers of range can be restored in 10 minutes.
The new generation increases the number of LiDAR sensors from 1 to 4, adding three solid-state units positioned on the sides and rear. Inside, there will be a 29-inch integrated OLED screen, while the second-row seats can rotate 180 degrees to face the third row. It will also feature zero-gravity seats and a large longitudinal lighting strip on the ceiling, with Li Auto aiming to create a sort of lounge inside the vehicle.