Competition in the six-seat SUV segment is heating up, with the reveal of Tesla’s Model YL on Wednesday — a new three-row variant of its top-selling model.
The new variant — named Model YL and using a longer wheelbase — was featured in the latest catalogue by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The listing is the final step for every new model before arriving in the market.
It is equipped dual motor setup with 142 kW front and 198 kW rear outputs and reaches a top speed of 201 km/h.
Several Chinese automakers have also launched or are preparing to launch six-seater models this year, highlighting a growing focus on the family-oriented vehicle market.
It includes Nio‘s sub-brand Onvo, which pre-launched its second model last week.
Earlier on Thursday, Nio’s founder and CEO William Li commented on Tesla’s announcement, saying that “the era of large-space pure electric SUVs has officially arrived” and that Onvo’s L90 is “a groundbreaking product born in this context.”
Onvo’s chief Fei Shen also noted that, as “the six-seat SUV market is getting very lively in the second half of the year,” with “more and more pure electric six-seaters” being announced, “everyone’s competing on user value and experience.”
“Just in the past few days, three new all-electric six-seat SUVs were officially revealed,” Shen said.
One of them was also Li Auto’s Li i8 — the brand’s first fully electric SUV and second battery-electric model after the Mega MPV. Founder and CEO Li Xiang also reacted to Tesla’s Model YL teaser.
“A six-seat pure electric SUV worthy of attention has arrived,” the chief executive stated, adding that “users looking for a six-seater in the 200,000–300,000 yuan ($27,900—$41,800) price range can look forward to it.”
Onvo L90
Unveiled earlier this year at the Shanghai Auto Show, Onvo‘s L90 has a pre-sale price of 279,900 yuan ($39,000) when acquiring it with the battery and 193,900 yuan ($27,000) when choosing Nio’s battery-as-a-service (BaaS).
Available in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel drive options, it is offered in a single-motor version, powered by a 340 kW motor, or as a dual-motor setup with 100 kW and 340 kW motors (a total 440 kW).
The model reaches a top speed of 200 km/h.
The L90 adopts a 900V electrical architecture and uses a 85 kWh battery pack, the same as the long-range variant of Onvo‘s debut model L60.
The six-seat version of the L90 (a five-seat variant is confirmed as well) delivers a CLTC range of up to 605 km. It measures 5,145 mm in length, 1,998 mm in width, and up to 1,786 mm in height, with a 3,110 mm wheelbase.
The automaker will begin shipping demo vehicles to showrooms this Friday ahead of the official launch event — scheduled for July 29, when it will also reveal the pricing details.
The Li i8 comes standard with a dual-motor intelligent all-wheel-drive (AWD) system across all variants, with a maximum output of 150 kW and 250 kW for the front and rear motors and a total system output of 400 kW.
Li Auto‘s SUV reaches a top speed of 180 km/h. It is equipped with 5C battery packs, available in 90 kWh and 98 kWh capacities.
The model offers CLTC-rated ranges of 670 km and 720 km, depending on the battery pack. The battery supports ultra-fast charging, delivering 500 km of range in just 10 minutes.
The Li i8 is 5,085 mm in length, 1,960 mm in width, and 1,740 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3050 mm.
However, the brand is planning to launch a fully electric version of the model in August. The battery electric vehicle (BEV) will be available as both a five-seater and six-seater.
The new Aito M8 Pure Electric is equipped with a Huawei dual-motor setup, with power outputs of 160 kW and 227 kW.
The SUV will feature a 100 kWh CATL battery pack with a CLTC range of up to 705 km, based on the Huawei’s 800V high-voltage battery platform.
Other features include the tech giant’s 192-line LiDAR, active safety, intelligent driving assistance, and smart parking assistance.
The model has a length of 5,190 mm, a width of 1,999 mm and a 1,795 mm height, plus a 3,105 mm wheelbase.
The Aito brand continues to lead weekly sales in the Chinese market. From July 7 to 13, the brand sold 8,600 vehicles in its domestic market, the same units as Stellantis-backed Leapmotor.
IM Motors LS9
IM Motors, a joint venture by SAIC Motors and tech giant Alibaba, has filed for its LS9 SUV — a six-seater hybrid model.
This marks the brand’s entry into the hybrid market, after only producing fully electric vehicles. IM’s lineup currently includes the IM L6 and IM L7 sedans and the LS6 and LS7 SUVs.
According to a recent MIIT catalogue, the LS9 measures 5,279 mm in length, 2,000 mm in width and 1,806 mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 3,160 mm.
The model features a 1.5-liter engine from SAIC as a range extender, with a maximum power output of 114 kW. It reaches a maximum speed of 220 km/h.
It has a dual-motor setup: the front motor has a peak power of 160 kW and the rear motor delivers 230 kW.
The LS9 is also equipped with CATL batteries, which can provide up to 450 km of pure electric range.
