Image: Li Auto
The Guangzhou Auto Show kicked off on Friday, vastly overshadowing the concurrently occurring Los Angeles auto show with a bevy of fascinating new debuts. Easily the coolest one is the Mega, the first full EV from the brand Li Auto.
This gigantic MPV boasts ultra-fast charging capabilities and tons of interior space, but the most impressive bit is the Mega’s aerodynamics. The Li Mega has a drag coefficient of just 0.215, making it one of the most aerodynamic cars production cars of all time.
That’s a better figure than cars like the new Toyota Prius, Tesla Model 3 and Porsche Taycan, and only slightly worse than the Lucid Air and Mercedes-Benz EQS. And it’s far more aerodynamic than any other MPV or SUV—the Lucid Gravity that debuted in LA has a 0.24 coefficient.
The pursuit of aerodynamics means the Li Mega looks, well, pretty weird. You’ll either love or hate its slippery styling. I fall in the former camp—I think this thing looks freakin’ cool. It’s reminiscent of a bullet train, with a short hood and super raked windshield. The silhouette is one uninterrupted line from nose to tail, and the roofline dramatically tapers off starting at the B-pillar. It really is big, too. At 210.6 inches long the Mega is around six inches longer than a Toyota Sienna, and its 72.8-inch height makes it a couple inches taller than the Sienna.
Image: Li Auto
A thin light bar sits at the base of the windshield while the main headlights are mounted low in the bumper, and the rear end has a simple light bar. Aside from subtly flared wheel arches the Mega’s bodywork is totally smooth, and all of the glass and pillars are super flush. The pillars and roof are gloss black, save for the section aft of the side windows and panoramic sunroof that gives the rear of the car a wraparound look.
The Mega has an 800-volt architecture and a 102.7-kWh CATL Qilin battery pack that has a 5C charge rate. While a total range figure hasn’t been announced yet, Li Auto says the Mega can charge at more than 520 kW, good enough to add 310 miles of range in 12 minutes. Last month a video was released of Mega at a charger hitting a peak of 552 kW, and even after reaching 80 percent charge it was still receiving 315 kW of juice. These crazy speeds can be achieved at Li Auto’s network of 5C superchargers, of which there will be 300 in China by the end of this year and 3,000 by 2025.
Image: Li Auto
Total horsepower from the all-wheel-drive Mega’s two electric motors is 536 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, good enough to hit 60 mph in 5.5 seconds—impressive considering it weighs 6,140 pounds. The Mega has double-wishbone front suspension and a multi-link setup in the rear, and air suspension with continuous damper control is standard. Li Auto says the Mega has three times the torsional stiffness of traditional MPVs, and it’s also the first MPV in China with side curtain airbags for all three rows of seats.
Li Auto hasn’t officially released many photos of the interior, but it has a similar design to the company’s existing hybrid SUV models. There’s no gauge cluster or screen in front of the driver, instead opting for a head-up display and a small touchscreen in the center of the steering wheel that shows your speed and other driving info. A massive display combining a center screen and a passenger screen takes up most of the dashboard, and a 17-inch screen flips down from the headliner for rear-seat passengers, as well.
Image: Li Auto
Thanks to its 130-inch wheelbase, which is nearly as long as an Escalade ESV’s, the Mega’s second-row captain’s chairs offer more legroom than a BMW 7 Series and the three-across third row is more spacious than a long-wheelbase 5 Series. Passengers will surely appreciate the Mega’s large windows, which the brand says provides a view akin to “a European scenic train.” The Mega’s trunk is also huge, with more than two feet of depth even when all the seats are up.
Full pricing has yet to be announced, but the top Mega Max trim will start at the equivalent of around $83,000. Less than two hours after pre-orders commenced following the Mega’s reveal, Li Auto already received 10,000 orders. The Mega will go on sale in February, with more details to be announced next month.
Image: Li Auto
Image: Li Auto
Keyword: The Wacky Li Mega Is One Of The Most Aerodynamic Cars Of All Time