China's emerging automakers are taking share of traditional cars, at least in the case of Li Auto
We previously reported that Lu Fang, CEO of Dongfeng Group's VOYAH brand, said of the competition with Li Auto that they are comrades in arms, with the common goal of converting traditional gasoline vehicles into new energy vehicles. In fact, that's happening.
Li Xiang, founder of Li Auto, said recently about Li ONE's user base that the top three are owners from three luxury brands, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, followed closely by owners of Volkswagen, Toyota and Honda.
Among them, owners of luxury brands are mainly buyers for additional cars, while other owners are mainly trade-ins, Li said, adding that this is 99% consistent with the target group they set four years ago.
It's easy to see from Li ONE's pricing that Li Auto is positioning itself as a premium car brand, and its sales provide plenty of confidence.
In November, Li ONE deliveries reached 4,646 units, up 25.8% from the previous month, with orders exceeding 5,000 units. 26,498 units of Li ONE were delivered in total from January to November.
VOYAH, a subsidiary of Dongfeng Group, recently announced the VOYAH FREE, a mid-size intelligent electric SUV, of which the version using extended-range technology is seen as a direct competitor to the Li ONE. But Li is downplaying this interpretation.
According to Li, it's definitely good to have a serious new player in a segment that can quickly increase attention and consumer confidence in that segment.
"The media writes all day about VOYAH challenging Li Auto, but doesn't know that we've been talking privately for a long time, much less about any extended-range electric hot buttons," he claims, adding, "It's a win-win for everyone. "
"We are not competitors with Li Auto. We're in the trenches with all the new-energy car companies," Lou said in an interview.
He added, "Our common goal is to keep converting traditional gasoline vehicles to new energy vehicles and to make the electric vehicle market bigger, which is what we want."
And naturally, it goes without saying for Nio, after all, they are already positioned to impact the market position of luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in China from day one.
Li Auto founder downplays competition from VOYAH