<div id="readability-page-1"><blockquote><ul><li>Li Auto's product lead for models including the Li i8 will soon depart, likely due to the Li i8's underwhelming sales performance, according to a local media report.</li><li>He oversaw models including the Li i8, Li L7, and Li L8 at Li Auto.</li></ul></blockquote><figure id="attachment_133936"><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn-asia.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025122410423668.jpg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="1600" height="900" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn-asia.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025122410423668.jpg"/><figcaption id="caption-attachment-133936">(Li i8. Image credit: Li Auto)</figcaption></figure><p>Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI, HKG: 2015) is reportedly losing another executive, partly due to the underperformance of its Li i8 electric SUV (sport utility vehicle) since its launch.</p><p>Zhang Xiao, president of the company's second product line, will depart shortly, according to a report today by local media outlet LatePost. He oversaw models including the Li i8, Li L7, and Li L8 at Li Auto.</p><p>Zhang's departure may be linked to the Li i8's underwhelming sales performance, the report said.</p>    <div>        <p><span>Join us on </span>            Telegram            <span> or </span>            Google News        </p>    </div><p>As Li Auto's inaugural model entering the pure-electric SUV segment, the Li i8's market performance fell short of internal expectations despite the launch being delayed by one year, the report noted.</p><p>From mid-2023 to the first half of 2024, Zhang led his team in refining the Li i8's styling and optimizing its product design.</p><p>Li Auto established its product line department in April 2024, dividing its portfolio into three segments based on price ranges.</p><p>The first product line covers vehicles priced above RMB 400,000 ($57,030), including the Li Mega electric MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) and the Li L9 large SUV, overseen by Tang Jing.</p><p>The second product line covers models priced between RMB 300,000 and RMB 400,000, including the Li i8, Li L7, and Li L8, managed by Zhang.</p><p>The third product line covers models priced below RMB 300,000, including the Li L6 and Li i6, managed by Li Xinyang. Li also serves as the English interpreter for every Li Auto earnings call.</p><p>The Li i8 was launched on July 29 as Li Auto's second battery electric vehicle (BEV) model following the Li Mega MPV.</p><p>The company relaunched the Li i8 on August 5, reducing available configurations from three to one and lowering its price after facing poor initial market reception.</p><p>The Li i8 currently starts at RMB 339,800. The electric SUV delivered 6,719 units in November, bringing cumulative deliveries since its August launch to 20,396 units, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.</p>            <div>        <p>Deliveries: Li Auto overall vs Li i8</p>                <p><span>                <span></span>                Li Auto            </span>            <span>                <span></span>                Li i8            </span>        </p>                                                                <table>            <caption>Deliveries: Li Auto overall vs Li i8 - Monthly Data</caption>            <thead>                <tr>                    <th scope="col">Month</th>                    <th scope="col">Li Auto Deliveries</th>                    <th scope="col">Li i8 Deliveries</th>                </tr>            </thead>            <tbody>                                <tr>                    <td>Jan 2024</td>                    <td>31,165</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Feb 2024</td>                    <td>20,251</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Mar 2024</td>                    <td>28,984</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Apr 2024</td>                    <td>25,787</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>May 2024</td>                    <td>35,020</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Jun 2024</td>                    <td>47,774</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Jul 2024</td>                    <td>51,000</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Aug 2024</td>                    <td>48,122</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Sep 2024</td>                    <td>53,709</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Oct 2024</td>                    <td>51,443</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Nov 2024</td>                    <td>48,740</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Dec 2024</td>                    <td>58,513</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Jan 2025</td>                    <td>29,927</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Feb 2025</td>                    <td>26,263</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Mar 2025</td>                    <td>36,674</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Apr 2025</td>                    <td>33,939</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>May 2025</td>                    <td>40,856</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Jun 2025</td>                    <td>36,279</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Jul 2025</td>                    <td>30,731</td>                    <td>N/A</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Aug 2025</td>                    <td>28,529</td>                    <td>2,212</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Sep 2025</td>                    <td>33,951</td>                    <td>5,716</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Oct 2025</td>                    <td>31,767</td>                    <td>5,749</td>                </tr>                                <tr>                    <td>Nov 2025</td>                    <td>33,181</td>                    <td>6,719</td>                </tr>                            </tbody>        </table>    </div>            <p>LatePost noted that personnel changes in the product lines are not Li Auto's core challenge.</p><p>With industry competition intensifying, Li Auto's immediate priority is to reassess its product strategy and swiftly clarify its product roadmap and market positioning for the coming years, the report said.</p><p>Last week, another domestic media outlet, 21jingji, reported that Li Auto had restructured and consolidated its supply chain departments.</p><p>The previous structure was designed for a two-million-unit annual production capacity. With the scaled-back capacity plan, the company is merging departments with overlapping functions, a Li Auto supply chain insider told 21jingji.</p><p>Li Auto's delivery performance has been sluggish this year, with 362,097 vehicles delivered from January to November -- an 18.08 percent year-on-year decline.</p>    <div>        <div>            <p><img width="768" height="432" src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn-asia.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025112703411475-768x432.jpg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn-asia.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025112703411475-768x432.jpg"/>                            </p>        </div>        <div>            <p>Li Auto to put its own M100 smart driving chip into cars starting in 2026</p>            <p>Li Auto will begin commercializing its M100 chip next year, hoping it will deliver a significant upgrade to the user experience of its products.</p>                    </div>    </div>    <p>($1 = RMB 7.0143)</p>                                                                                </div>

02015

<p>Li Auto's product lead for the Li i8, Zhang Xiao, is set to leave the company, reportedly due to the Li i8's poor sales performance. The Li i8, Li Auto's second battery electric vehicle, has not met market expectations since its launch. The company is facing challenges in product strategy and market positioning amid industry competition.</p>

- Li Auto's product lead, Zhang Xiao, will soon leave due to the poor sales performance of the Li i8 electric SUV.  
- The Li i8, launched in July 2024, has underperformed despite design refinements and a price reduction following its initial market reception.  
- Li Auto is undergoing strategic reassessment amid competition, with a focus on clarifying its product roadmap and restructuring supply chain operations as overall deliveries have declined by 18.08% year-on-year.

Li Auto's i8 product head to leave, report says