Li Auto has officially confirmed that its all-electric Mega minivan goes on sale in China on March 1, 2024. The starting price will be under 600,000 Yuan (US$ 84,600), and the first customers to pre-order it will be getting sizable discounts along with improved chargers.
The original launch date was in December
2023, but the Chinese automaker postponed it by four months. According to
unofficial reports, some early owners who took delivery of the Li Auto Mega
complained about a cramped middle seat row, forcing the company to make some
last-minute changes in its design. The MPV is sized 5,350 x 1,965 x 1,850
millimeters with 3.3 meters between the axles. Li Auto claims that its drag
ratio of 0.215 is class-leading in the van market, even surpassing that of the
Porsche Taycan.
In its all-wheel-drive guise, the Mega
uses a 155kW electric motor on the front axle and a 245kW motor on the rear
axle. The torque peaks at 542 Nm. The manufacturer claims it
can sprint 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds and attain 180 km/h. A
102.7-kilowatt-hour battery provided by CATL gives the van up to 710 km of range. Rapid charging at dedicated Li Auto terminals lets owners top
up their battery in 12 minutes, getting 500 km of range. As of late
2023, Li Auto had around 300 such charging outlets operational in China.
