Li Auto has signed partners for five more Asia-Pacific markets, and three of them drive on the left. At a ceremony in Beijing on November 10, the Chinese carmaker named its partners for Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam. Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore will be its first right-hand-drive (RHD) markets. Li Auto has only built left-hand-drive cars since it was founded in 2015.
Add Macau, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, which were signed in April, and Li Auto says it is entering nine markets in the region this year. Only Macau has opened so far, in June.
The first RHD car is the Li Mega, the brand’s fully electric MPV. It makes its RHD debut at the Thailand International Motor Expo, which runs from December 2 to 13, followed by a brand and Mega launch in Hong Kong. Li Auto says more than one RHD model will follow within a year. Chairman and CEO Li Xiang said on the company’s second-quarter earnings call that an RHD Li i6 SUV would complete the line-up.
