Li Auto sets up Hong Kong HQ to drive global expansion

Li Auto has set up its international headquarters in Hong Kong to support its overseas expansion amid rising competition in China.

The Hong Kong hub will handle research and development, intellectual property, and the global supply chain, according to InvestHK.

The company opened its first retail outlet outside mainland China in Uzbekistan this week.

Li Auto delivered 33,951 vehicles in September, down 36.8% year-on-year, marking its fourth straight monthly decline.

Other Chinese EV makers, including BYD and Zeekr, already sell in Hong Kong, while BeyonCa plans to assemble EVs there.

As domestic price wars and excess capacity intensify, Chinese automakers are accelerating their global push.

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

InvestHK says Li Auto set a Hong Kong base for R&D, intellectual property, and the supply chain. The notice skipped EU type approval (the certification required to sell vehicles in the European Union), differing charging rules, plus safety adaptations. A third‑party lists the Li L7 in left‑ or right‑hand drive 1, though Li Auto has not confirmed right‑hand drive.
Uzbekistan got the first retail outlet. This hints at a start in Central Asia and the Middle East before Europe 2.
September 2025 deliveries fell 36.8% year over year to 33,951. In Q2 2025, Li Auto held 13.4% of China’s New Energy Vehicle market at 200,000 renminbi and above 2.

Hong Kong set aside $1 billion for an AI R&D Institute 3, while AI Subsidy Scheme backed big language models plus synthetic biology 4. Li Auto plans to spend over 6 billion renminbi on AI in 2025, plus electric drive tech, 5C supercharging batteries (5C is a charge rate five times a battery’s capacity) 2.
The New Industrialisation Funding Scheme backed over 100 smart production lines, while Manufacturing+ offers up to $250,000 per firm on a one‑to‑two match 3 4. Two semiconductor pilot lines at the Microelectronics Centre start 2026 3, as Hong Kong seeks mid‑2025 approval for the $10 billion I&T Industry‑Oriented Fund 4.