(Yicai) Oct. 30 -- Li Auto has used only self-developed batteries and smart-driving chips in the 2026 edition of its i6, the Chinese electric vehicle startup's best-selling model.

Li Auto changed the battery in the new i6 from one co-developed with Contemporary Amperex Technology to its own Lianshan 5C battery, which offers improved capacity and endurance. It also replaced Nvidia's Thor-U smart-driving chip with its M100 chip.

The move highlights that Li Auto's self-developed core components are transitioning from small-batch validation to large-scale use. The Beijing-based firm has delivered nearly 190,000 i6 battery EVs since launching the model at the end of September last year.

According to data from the China Passenger Car Association, Li Auto delivered 160,221 i6s in the nine months ended Sept. 30, accounting for about 55 percent of its total deliveries. Among all pure electric sport utility vehicles priced above CNY200,000 (USD30,025), the i6 ranked second in sales behind Tesla's Model Y with 277,290 units.

The i6 is also a frontier product in Li Auto's global expansion. Known as Li 6 overseas, the model will launch in Norway and the Netherlands in the first quarter of next year, before gradually expanding to other European markets.

Li Xiang, chairman and chief executive officer of Li Auto, previously said he hopes the i6 will be the firm's best-selling model worldwide.

Since the i6 2026 launch, Morgan Stanley has maintained an Overweight rating on Li Auto with a target price of HKD68.50 (USD8.73) a share and believes the new model will likely boost the firm's monthly sales to 15,000 to 20,000 units from around 7,000 units last month.

However, sales growth will depend on whether Li Auto's self-developed battery and chip supply can keep up with orders and the order conversion rate, Morgan Stanley stressed. The car's fourth-quarter sales gross profit margin and sales data will be key to whether the company's long-term vehicle gross profit margin can reach its 15 percent target, it added.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev