Chinese carmaker Li Auto has restructured its R&D organization to establish a dedicated humanoid robot division and realign its autonomous driving team around foundation models, the local media outlet LatePost reported on Friday.
Last year, the company delivered 406,343 vehicles, failing to meet its revised 640,000-unit goal by 37%. The guidance had already lowered from the initial 700,000 units.
The restructuring follows an all-hands meeting held earlier this week where founder and CEO Li Xiang outlined his vision for the company’s AI future.
Li said he would significantly adjust the technical R&D team structure, adopting the operating model of the most advanced AI companies and reorganizing personnel according to a collaborative approach to building “silicon-based life,” LatePost reported.
The pivot toward AI comes as Li Auto faces challenges in its core automotive business. The company delivered 406,343 vehicles last year, falling 37% short of its revised 640,000-unit target.
The Beijing-based automaker aims to sell approximately 550,000 vehicles this year, up 40% from 2025, according to Chinese outlet 36kr.
New Divisions
The reorganization creates two new teams: a software division led by Gou Xiaofei, vice president of intelligent space, and a humanoid robot team led by Lang Xianpeng, senior vice president of autonomous driving R&D.
Zhan Kun has been appointed to lead a foundation model team, with most autonomous driving department employees transferred to this group.
Zhan Yifei, previously head of AI evaluation and operations under the autonomous driving department, and Ling Lin, head of data annotation, have both been transferred to the humanoid robot team under Lang’s leadership.
Gou and Lang will report to Ma Donghui, Li Auto‘s president and head of the intelligent vehicle group.
Zhan Kun will report to CTO Xie Yan, who leads the systems and computing group, according to the report.
Major Update
Lang Xianpeng joined Li Auto in 2018 as the first employee of the autonomous driving department and has risen from R&D director to senior VP over eight years.
Under his leadership, the carmaker’s “end-to-end + VLM” solution entered mass production in October 2024, bringing the company’s intelligent driving experience into the industry’s top tier.
The company rolled out its VLA solution to all vehicles in September 2025, and updated to version 8.2 earlier this month with an enhanced VLA driver model.
AI Strategy
At Monday’s all-hands meeting, Li Xiang outlined several key AI milestones.
He said 2026 is the final year for companies seeking to become leading AI players to establish themselves. Level 4 autonomous driving will be implemented by 2028 at the latest, he predicted.
Li said no more than three companies globally will ultimately succeed across foundation models, chips, operating systems, and embodied intelligence — and that Li Auto aims to be one of them.
Beyond automotive, Li confirmed that Li Auto will develop humanoid robots and unveil them as soon as possible.
Product Roadmap
Li Auto plans to expand and upgrade its portfolio this year, including one new battery-electric SUV joining the Mega MPV, the i8 six-seat SUV, and the i6 five-seat midsize SUV — all launched in China between May and September last year.
Cumulative deliveries of the fully electric MPV Mega surpassed 30,000 units last Monday, the company said.
The i6 model continues to face production constraints due to battery supply limitations, causing delivery delays even four months after launch.
This week, the brand told some SUV buyers they will face a 4-6 week delivery wait, according to Chinese outlet Yiche.
Li Auto will shift its product strategy back to extended-range electric vehicles, aiming to “reclaim its leading position” in the segment, a senior executive told 36kr two weeks ago.
The L-series EREV SUVs will receive substantial upgrades to chassis and vehicle control systems, with the L9 model as the priority.
