Li Auto Launches i9 Home Electric Flagship SUV at 369,800 Yuan

The vehicle measures 5,225 mm long, 1,970 mm wide and 1,752 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 3,168 mm, making it the largest model in the i series. It is the first flagship based on Li Auto's second-generation pure electric platform. Li Xiang set the goal of providing the best six-seat passenger and storage space, with handling comparable to the L9 Livis and comfort and quietness comparable to the MEGA Home.

The i9 Home comes standard with a 101 kWh ternary lithium 5C battery and dual-motor all-wheel drive, with a CLTC pure electric range of 705 km. The first deliveries will use CATL's 5C ternary lithium battery, and by the end of October the i9 will fully switch to Li Auto's self-developed 5C ternary lithium battery.

Inside, the i9 offers two interior color schemes, white-grey and brown-coffee. Seats are upholstered in air diamond-quilted leather, door panels use the same perforated leather as the MEGA, and the dashboard introduces light grey suede. The car has a Sweet Home welcome light carpet and ground lights under each door. Li Auto uses a direct-lit light strip ambient light for the first time, called the Star Track ambient light. It also serves as a door-opening warning: when second- or third-row passengers are about to exit and a vehicle approaches from behind, the light strip on the door panel turns red. The roof-mounted warm dual-curve main light supports independent left and right control and brightness adjustment.

The first two rows have four full-size zero-gravity seats, and all four can enter zero-gravity position at the same time, with ventilation, heating and massage. The cabin has 18 body contact points that support heating, including headrests and leg rests. The third row supports 10 cm of electric fore-aft sliding and a backrest angle of about 55 degrees. Li Auto calls the third row a 'hidden C position.' As with other i-series models, the body apex is above the second-row door opening. The second-row seats can automatically move forward for third-row access, the second-row doors open nearly 90 degrees, and the second-row seats can rotate outward about 45 degrees like the MEGA. The second-row seats can rotate to face the third row, with more than 2 meters of facing space. Li Xinyang said the i9's facing space is larger than that of the MEGA Home. Li Auto also said the i9 surpasses the MEGA in high-speed NVH.

Li Auto prepared three main uses: a facing living room, Home cinema and Home suite. The facing living room has a floating combination table same size as the MEGA, the dual-curve main light focuses light on the center, and the refrigerator can still open in facing mode. Home cinema uses the third row's large recline and second-row seats to form a chaise-like position, which Li Auto calls 'hug cinema.' Home suite arranges one side as seating and a work area and the other side as a bed.

For intelligence, i9 uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 8797 cockpit chip and a 29-inch 6K panoramic screen, with a 21.4-inch 4K rear entertainment screen. For driver assistance, it comes standard with one Mach M100 chip with 1,280 TOPS of computing power. Mach VLA 2.5 will begin rolling out in October with i9 deliveries and will be available to all models on the Mach platform. The i9 also debuts Li Auto's CarPlay, allowing phone interface and vehicle control, driver assistance and other head-unit content to display simultaneously; connectivity for other phone brands will also launch.

Storage includes a frunk that opens with a double tap and has an internal close button. Its low, forward-extending opening is close to where a hand naturally hangs, so heavy luggage does not require obvious bending. The frunk can hold a 20-inch carry-on suitcase and a backpack. When the cover is fully open, its highest point is near the roof, so it does not take up much overhead space in low garages.

Li Auto defines the i9's chassis as a second-generation system, with standard steer-by-wire, rear-wheel steering, and magic carpet air suspension composed of dual-chamber air springs and dual-valve dampers. The i9 does not carry the L9 Livis's 800V active suspension. Li Auto said the i9 relies on the low center of gravity of its native pure electric platform and a body torsional rigidity of nearly 50,000 N·m/degree to achieve the same result as the L9 Livis in an emergency lane-change test. Rear-wheel steering reduces the minimum turning radius to 5.3 meters, and steer-by-wire supports a variable steering ratio. In automatic parking, the steering wheel only turns slightly. The front windshield is 1.7 square meters, which Li Auto says is 30 percent larger than a traditional SUV. The lower glass edge and triangular windows reduce blind spots near the front, and the short front overhang makes the front view and vehicle boundary clearer.

For safety, the i9's structure starts with a 'crash shield' across the front, with extra reinforcement for small offset crashes, and the rear is designed for a rear impact condition of up to 92 km/h. The most novel design is the rear crash beam. The air suspension reservoir is integrated into this rear crash beam, made from Li Auto's self-developed high-strength aluminum alloy, with structural design and validation completed from the start of vehicle development. If the reservoir is damaged, Li Auto says, the vehicle can still drive and lower its body even if all gas leaks, and the air pump can continue to raise the body, though it will take several tens of seconds. Li Auto also said the after-sales repair price of the i9's rear crash beam remains consistent with a traditional rear crash beam, with the extra cost borne by Li Auto.

The i9 is a standard Li-style flagship. Its understanding of a flagship still starts from comfort, caring about how a family of six travels and about the driver's handling experience. The i8 brought a six-seat pure electric SUV to Li Auto's mainstream price range, while the i9 shows what a pure electric flagship means in Li Auto's philosophy. The i9 may take some orders from the MEGA, but it is not a 'youth version' of the MEGA Home.