The Li Auto L9 Livis is the range-topping flagship trim of the all-new L9, and on a dealer-floor walkaround in a striking dark-green-over-titanium-gold two-tone finish, it's easy to see why Li Auto positions it as a genuine flagship rather than just a spec bump. The Livis pairs a 420 km EV-range extended-range powertrain with what Li Auto calls the world's first production fully by-wire chassis — steer-by-wire, four-wheel steering, and electro-mechanical braking, all backed by an 800V fully-active suspension system. Priced from about $76,100 (¥509,800) in China, the Livis sits about $7,500 above the standard L9 Ultra, and Li Auto has since taken the L9 abroad — it went on sale in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in July 2026 and launched in the UAE on September 3.
Performance & Specs
The Livis uses Li Auto's third-generation extended-range system, producing a combined 420 kW (563 hp) and 710 Nm of torque for a 4.9-second 0-100 km/h time and a 200 km/h top speed. A 72.7 kWh battery supporting 5C charging delivers 420 km of pure-electric CLTC range (about 350 km on the WLTC cycle quoted in export markets), with the range-extender engine pushing total combined range to 1,650 km CLTC — the longest figure among its direct rivals. The headline engineering story, though, is the chassis: a full by-wire system combining steer-by-wire, four-wheel steering, and electromechanical braking (EMB), paired with an 800V fully-active suspension that Li Auto says can generate over 10,000 Newtons of single-wheel lifting force with no need for anti-roll bars, responding in milliseconds.
| Powertrain | EREV (3rd-generation range-extender) |
|---|---|
| Power | 420 kW (563 hp) |
| Torque | 710 Nm |
| 0–100 km/h | 4.9 s |
| Battery | 72.7 kWh (5C) |
| Range | 420 km EV / 1,650 km total (CLTC) |
| POWERTRAIN TYPE | Extended-range electric (EREV) |
|---|---|
| HORSEPOWER | 563 hp (420 kW) |
| TOP SPEED | 200 km/h |
| BATTERY | 72.7 kWh (5C fast-charging) |
| ELECTRIC RANGE | 420 km (CLTC; about 350 km WLTC) |
| COMBINED RANGE | 1,650 km (CLTC; about 1,370 km WLTC) |
Dimensions & Practicality
| Length | 5,255 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 2,000 mm |
| Height | 1,810 mm |
| Wheelbase | 3,125 mm |
| Turning radius | 5.3 m |
At 5,255 mm long, 2,000 mm wide and on a 3,125 mm wheelbase, the L9 Livis is a true full-size six-seater with a 2+2+2 captain's-chair layout and a curb weight of roughly 2,755–2,835 kg. The four-wheel-steering system tightens the turning radius to just 5.3 metres, unusually agile for a full-size SUV and a genuine everyday-usability advantage over rivals without rear steering — tight underground parking garages and U-turns that would be awkward in most three-row SUVs become straightforward. The range-extender engine is tuned to run only as a generator, never directly driving the wheels.
Charging & Battery
The Livis's 72.7 kWh battery supports 5C DC fast charging, good for a 10-80% top-up in around 10 minutes at a peak of up to 420 kW — genuinely quick for a battery this size, and a meaningful upgrade over the previous-generation L9's charging speed. That combination of fast charging and a large pack is what lets the Livis run 420 km on electricity alone before the range-extender engine needs to contribute.
| BATTERY | 72.7 kWh, 5C-rated |
|---|---|
| DC PEAK POWER | 420 kW |
| DC 10-80% TIME | ~10 min |
Design & Interior
The Livis trim is available in four exclusive two-tone paint schemes, and the walkaround car wore the dark-green-over-titanium-gold combination, paired with standard 22-inch wheels — a genuinely distinctive look next to the more conservative solid colors offered on the lower, cheaper L9 trims. A chrome beltline strip runs the length of the body, separating the two paint tones cleanly at the window line. Inside, the cabin centers on a 29-inch 6K panoramic display and a 33-speaker premium audio system. Rear passengers get their own climate and comfort control panel between the second-row captain's chairs, with touch controls for temperature, a folding rear screen, a centre-console refrigerator (demonstrated running at -2°C in this walkaround), privacy shade, light-blocking glass, and separate roof and window sunshades — all confirmed running in English on the car's own screen, a language switch the reviewer demonstrated at the very start of the walkaround. Front and rear door panels use a cream-and-sage two-tone leather treatment that echoes the exterior's paint split, rather than a single flat color across the whole cabin.
Technology & Features
The Livis runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8797 cockpit platform alongside its dual Mach M100 autonomous-driving chips, giving it separate, dedicated compute for infotainment and for driving. Four LiDAR units feed the perception stack for what Li Auto describes as a "next-generation smart cockpit" built around embodied-intelligence software, layered on top of the 29-inch panoramic display.
Safety & ADAS
With four LiDAR sensors and 2,560 TOPS of dedicated compute across its dual Mach M100 chips, the Livis carries one of the more sensor- and compute-dense ADAS packages in this price segment — Li Auto's own comparison claims roughly triple the compute of an Nvidia Thor-U-based system. The full by-wire chassis, including electromechanical braking, also feeds directly into the car's active safety systems, allowing faster automated braking and steering responses than a conventional mechanically-linked setup.
| ADAS LEVEL | L2+ (4 LiDAR, by-wire chassis integration) |
|---|---|
| ADAS COMPUTE | Dual Mach M100 chips, 2,560 TOPS |
Available Versions
| VERSION | POWER | TORQUE | 0-100 | TOP SPEED | DRIVETRAIN | BATTERY | EV RANGE | COMBINED RANGE | PRICE | KEY DIFFERENCES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L9 Livis | 563 hp | 710 Nm | 4.9 s | 200 km/h | AWD | 72.7 kWh | 420 km | 1,650 km | ~$76,100 (¥509,800) | 800V active suspension, EMB brake-by-wire, dual M100 chips, powered doors, Pods speakers |
| L9 Ultra | 563 hp | 710 Nm | 4.9 s | 200 km/h | AWD | 72.7 kWh | 420 km | 1,650 km | ~$68,600 (¥459,800) | Air suspension, single M100 chip (1,280 TOPS), no EMB |
Pricing & Availability
The all-new L9 launched in China on May 15, 2026 in two trims: Ultra at ¥459,800 (about $68,600) and Livis at ¥509,800 (about $76,100) — itself a 9% cut from the Livis's original ¥559,800 (about $83,600) pre-sale price announced in February. Deliveries in China began that same week, on May 17. The ¥20,000 launch cash reduction for orders placed by June 30 has ended, and the guide prices are unchanged.
Li Auto's international rollout is now under way, starting in Central Asia and the Middle East. The L9 went on sale in Kazakhstan in July 2026 (Ultra at 43.99 million tenge, Livis at 51.9 million tenge), with a local-assembly deal signed with Allur for its Kostanay plant, and launched in Uzbekistan on July 30. The UAE launch followed in Dubai on September 3, 2026: Ultra AED 319,900 (about $87,100) and Livis AED 359,900 (about $98,000), roughly 27% and 29% above the China prices. UAE cars get an Arabic interface (Arabic voice control is due by the end of 2026), thermal and dust tuning for Gulf conditions and local charging standards, and are sold through distributor Al Fahim Group. A cooperation agreement for Saudi Arabia has been signed without a launch date. Li Auto has not announced the L9 for Europe or North America; its European plan centres on the battery-electric i6.
How It Compares
Against the AITO M9 and ZEEKR 9X, the Livis trades outright horsepower for the longest combined range in the group — 1,650 km beats the AITO M9's 1,405 km and the ZEEKR 9X's roughly 1,200 km. The NIO ES9, a pure-BEV rival, costs slightly less with its battery included, but it can't match the Livis's road-trip range since it has no engine to fall back on when the battery runs low, a real consideration for buyers without reliable access to fast chargers on longer trips. At about $76,100 the Livis costs more than the entry version of each of these rivals (their top trims run higher), and its real differentiator is the chassis: Li Auto says it is the first production car to combine steer-by-wire, four-wheel steering and electro-mechanical braking.
- By-wire chassis with four-wheel steering gives it a 5.3 m turning radius, unusual for a full-size SUV
- 1,650 km combined range is the longest in this group, with 420 km of pure-electric range
- Already on sale outside China (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the UAE), with Arabic interface and hot-climate tuning in the UAE
- 563 hp trails rivals like the AITO M9 and ZEEKR 9X on outright power by a wide margin
- Priced above the entry versions of the AITO M9, ZEEKR 9X and NIO ES9, with no confirmed European or North American launch
The Li Auto L9 Livis isn't chasing horsepower bragging rights — it's chasing genuine engineering differentiation, and the by-wire chassis with four-wheel steering delivers exactly that. Combined with the longest combined range in its group and a turning radius that makes a 5.3-metre SUV feel genuinely manageable in tight spaces, the Livis is a compelling flagship pick for buyers who value chassis technology and range over outright power. With sales already open in Central Asia and the UAE, this is a car to watch outside China too.
