Li Auto deliveries were down about 25 percent in September compared to August, which the company blamed on the impact of continued chip supply shortages.

Li Auto delivered 7,094 Li ONE vehicles - the company's only model - in September, up 102 percent year-on-year but down about 25 percent from August.

"Li Auto saw a drop in deliveries in September due to the continued shortage of chip supply," said Yannan Shen, co-founder and president of the company.

The company's order numbers have continued to grow since the launch of the 2021 Li ONE, Shen said, adding that the company is taking additional steps to secure parts availability in hopes of shortening customer pickup wait times as much as possible.

In the first nine months of the year, Li Auto delivered a total of 55,270 units. Since delivery, Li ONE cumulative deliveries have reached 88,867 units, according to the company.

In the third quarter, Li Auto delivered 25,116 units, up 190 percent year-on-year and slightly above the company's adjusted guidance.

On September 20, Li Auto said it was lowering its delivery guidance for the third quarter by 500-1,500 units after the Covid-19 in Malaysia caused a severe hindrance in the production of a specialized chip for its millimeter-wave radar supplier.

Because of a slower-than-expected recovery in chip supply, it expects its deliveries to drop to about 24,500 units in the third quarter, down from previous guidance of 25,000-26,000 units, according to the company.

Li Auto said at the time it will continue to monitor ongoing market conditions and work closely with supply chain partners to minimize the impact of the chip shortage on its production.

As of September 30, Li Auto had 153 retail centers in China, covering 85 cities, and 223 after-sales repair centers and authorized sheet metal spray centers, covering 165 cities.

Li Auto lowers Q3 delivery guidance by 500-1,500 units due to Malaysia's Covid-19