Li Auto files updated i8 with single-motor variant, hinting at a lower entry price
A June 10 MIIT catalog filing reveals an updated Li i8 with a new single-motor 250 kW configuration — the first time the electric SUV has offered anything below its current dual-motor 400 kW setup. The filing signals a lower entry price is coming for a model that has sold fewer than 8,000 units in 2026 despite fierce competition from Onvo and Tesla. This article covers the spec changes, the sales context, competitive dynamics, and where the i8 refresh fits in Li Auto's June product sprint.
Li Auto's struggling i8 electric SUV may finally get a price cut. On June 10, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published a new vehicle catalog batch that includes an updated version of the Li i8 — and for the first time, the filing lists a single-motor variant alongside the existing dual-motor configuration.1 In China, MIIT catalog entry is a prerequisite for retail sale, making this the clearest public signal yet that a more accessible trim is on its way.
What the filing reveals
The updated i8 entering the catalog keeps the current model's overall silhouette intact. The most visible exterior change is the replacement of hidden door handles with semi-hidden ones — a compliance adjustment following China's new auto safety standard that took effect in February 2026.1
Dimensions are unchanged from the current i8: 5,085 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, 1,740 mm tall, with a 3,050 mm wheelbase. Six-seat layout is retained.
The powertrain is where the filing diverges from the existing model. The updated i8 offers a single-motor option with 250 kW (335 hp) of maximum power. For comparison, the current i8 ships exclusively in dual-motor all-wheel-drive form, producing 400 kW combined — enough for a 0–100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds.1
Battery cells come from Sunwoda, with the pack assembled by Li Auto — the same supplier pairing used across Li Auto's recent EREV refresh cycle, including the new L8.
The pricing signal
The current Li i8 is a single-SKU vehicle: one configuration, priced at RMB 339,800 (~$50,170). Adding a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive variant — with roughly 37% less peak power — almost always signals a lower entry price. The dual-motor version will likely remain but serve as the premium tier.
The i8's original launch in July 2025 was chaotic.1 Li Auto initially offered three variants; within a week it relaunched the model, cutting it down to one trim and slashing prices. That reset bought only a temporary sales bump. Monthly deliveries hit a 2026 high of 2,088 units in April, then fell 25% to just 1,564 units in May, accounting for barely 4.7% of the company's total volume.2
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In the first five months of 2026, the i8 accumulated just 7,954 deliveries total — against 98,990 for its cheaper sibling, the Li i6, which starts at RMB 249,800 and has topped 20,000 monthly deliveries for three straight months.2
The competitive wall
The i8's poor reception has a direct competitor at its core. Nio's sub-brand Onvo entered the premium six-seat electric SUV segment with the L90, priced more aggressively. Tesla's six-seat Model Y L is also squeezing the i8 from below. At RMB 339,800 with only one trim and only one powertrain, the i8 had almost no flexibility to absorb pricing pressure or reach buyers who want the form factor at a lower cost-of-entry.
A single-motor variant below RMB 300,000 would give Li Auto a new opening — capturing buyers deterred by the current price or by AWD ownership costs, while preserving the higher-spec dual-motor for performance-oriented customers.
Part of a broader product sprint
The i8 filing lands during the most intensive refresh cycle Li Auto has run to date. The company launched the all-new L9 flagship in May 2026 — priced from RMB 459,800, featuring the in-house Mach M100 ADAS chip and 1,650 km CLTC combined range.3 The all-new L8 — shifting from six seats to five specifically to stop cannibalizing the L9 — is confirmed for a late June 2026 launch.4
On June 15, just four days away, Li Auto is hosting "Livis Day" — a software and AI event at 4:30 pm Beijing time where the company plans to detail its embodied intelligence roadmap.5 The event is tied to the Livis brand name that also adorns the top trim of the new L9 and is expected on the new L8.
Across the lineup, deliveries in May fell 18.4% year-on-year to 33,350 units, against a backdrop of intense price competition and a first-quarter net loss of RMB 2.3 billion — a stark reversal from RMB 647 million profit in Q1 2025.6 Gross margin collapsed to 7.9% from 20.5% a year earlier. The i8 update, the L8 launch, and the Livis Day AI positioning are each a piece of Li Auto's effort to reverse that trend.
The MIIT catalog entry does not include a launch date or confirmed pricing. Those will come with the official product announcement, likely before or alongside a delivery start date that mirrors the pace of other recent Li Auto refreshes.
References
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- 6Li Auto Inc. May 2026 Delivery Update
ir.lixiang.com
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