Li Auto Unveils Its First All-Electric Model MEGA

(RTTNews) - China-based Li Auto (LI) launched its first pure electric model MEGA multi-purpose vehicle at the 21st Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition.

The vehicle's exterior resembles China's high-speed bullet train, which helps MEGA to give a good performance range due to low wind resistance. It is powered by dual electric motors with a total powertrain power of 400 kW and a total torque of 542 Nm. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 5.5 seconds.

The company's CEO Li Xiang stated that the latest 102.7 kWh battery provides the 5.3-meter-long multi-purpose vehicle with a driving range of 441 miles between charges.

The high-powered battery is manufactured by CATL, a China-based battery giant, which also makes the vehicle compatible with 5C ultra-fast charging.

The Chinese company is also planning to invest at least RMB 6 billion to build more than 5,000 directly operated supercharging stations that support 5C charging.

The company executive informed at the event that Li Auto is bringing in partners to work on building supercharging stations with more than 300 kW charging power, enabling MEGA to get a 500-kilometer range on a 15-minute charge.

Additionally, MEGA is equipped with an intelligent driving system, AD Max, powered by Nvidia Orin X chips.

The Beijing-based company is also planning a software update in June in a bid to enable the vehicle to autonomously park and change lanes. MEGA, priced at RMB 559,800, equivalent to $77,756, will be out for deliveries on March 11. The company stated that it offers a free 20-kW DC charging pile or 6,000 kWh of free charging for customers who pre-order the vehicle, and 3,000 kWh of free charging for customers who order between March 11 and April 30.

According to the company website, a pre-order requires a deposit of RMB5,000, which is refundable for a limited time period. However, within 2 hours of MEGA launch, more than 2,000 orders were received, which underscores the demand for the multi-purpose vehicle among family users.