Li Auto's MEGA Home conceals a shifting battery supply

Li Auto MEGA Home pairs a single nationwide price of 509,800 yuan with a 108 kWh ternary-lithium 5C battery, dual-motor all-wheel drive, and 710 km of CLTC range. Yet reporting indicates that Li Auto distinguishes between batteries jointly developed with CATL and batteries it internally calls self-developed through Sunwoda. The polished, home-like version name can therefore conceal a supply arrangement that is more changeable than the brochure suggests.

Li Auto says its branded batteries are already fitted to the L8, L6, and i8. It also says the new-generation MEGA, i9, and 2026 i6 will progressively adopt them in the fourth quarter of this year, subject to product and delivery schedules. The useful question is no longer only which Li Auto model a buyer selects. It is which battery and hardware revision arrives in the delivered vehicle, and what that changes for charging access and everyday use.

One version, more than one hidden specification

The new Li Auto MEGA turns the buying menu into a single choice: MEGA Home. According to ifanr, it has a nationwide unified retail price of 509,800 yuan, a 108 kWh ternary-lithium 5C battery, dual-motor all-wheel drive, and 710 km of CLTC electric range. The showroom specification is therefore unusually tidy. A buyer is not asked to choose among battery sizes or powertrain variants.

That simplicity does not mean the battery story has stopped moving.

Li Auto has drawn a distinction between battery-development arrangements beneath its vehicle range. According to reporting, the CATL project is internally described as joint development, while cooperation with Sunwoda is described internally as self-developed batteries. Li Auto said on September 7 that its self-developed batteries would fully cover its lineup. It also said Li Auto-branded batteries are already installed in the L8, L6, and i8.

The MEGA Home is part of that transition rather than an exception to it. Reporting indicates that the new-generation MEGA will progressively use Li Auto-branded batteries in the fourth quarter of this year, subject to product and delivery schedules. The all-new i9 and the 2026 i6 are on the same schedule.

For the MEGA buyer, the published 108 kWh label describes capacity and battery type, not the full development or supply history behind the pack. A single retail version can thus conceal a changing hardware sourcing path. That matters because the vehicle name and price remain fixed while the battery program underneath is being expanded.

The i6 shows why model names are not enough

The rear-wheel-drive Li Auto i6 presents a clear buyer-facing specification: an 87.3 kWh battery, 720 km of CLTC range, and a claim that 500 km can be added in 10 minutes. sspai's author selected that version alongside a black exterior, 20-inch wheels, a white interior, a rear entertainment screen, and a streaming rearview mirror.

Those visible selections do not identify the battery cells underneath.

According to a report, the 2025 Li Auto i6 used CATL and Sunwoda as battery suppliers. The latest Ministry of Industry and Information Technology filing for the 2026 Li Auto i6 instead lists Shandong Li Auto Battery Co., Ltd. as the battery-assembly producer for two battery configurations, with cells from Sunwoda and CALB. The report says the i6 may be the first Li Auto model fitted with CALB products.

That distinction matters because the i6 name, rear-wheel-drive layout, and headline battery capacity do not by themselves establish a single supplier history. A customer can choose the exterior, wheel size, interior color, and display equipment described by sspai, while the battery sourcing can differ between the 2025 model and the two configurations recorded for 2026.

The charging result reported by sspai also describes one car rather than a universal ownership guarantee. Its author measured a charge from 5% to 80% at a Li Auto 5C supercharger in about 10 minutes, with peak power above 500 kW and average power around 380 kW. The same author reported more than 500 km of real-world range and said a displayed 525 km after a full charge was generally achievable.

For the i6, the model badge is only the start of the specification.

Li Auto i6 battery sourcing and buyer-visible configuration evidence

Charging access can outweigh the charging headline

Li Auto's fast-charging case rests on a large physical network. By the end of June, it had built 4,097 supercharging stations and 22,593 charging piles, according to ifanr. Piles rated for 4C and 5C charging made up 70% of that total. The MEGA Home's standard 108 kWh ternary-lithium 5C battery is designed for that kind of access, alongside dual-motor all-wheel drive and 710 km of CLTC electric range.

But a charging headline only matters where a driver can actually plug in.

The workplace constraint described by sspai shows the difference. Its author could not bring a Tesla into an underground garage, which also blocked access to the garage's inexpensive, convenient slow-charging stations. A vehicle's charging routine can therefore be shaped by parking rules before its maximum charging rate enters the calculation.

For the rear-wheel-drive i6, Li Auto lists an 87.3 kWh battery, 720 km of CLTC range, and the ability to add 500 km in 10 minutes. sspai's author measured a charge from 5% to 80% at a Li Auto 5C supercharger in about 10 minutes, with peak power above 500 kW and average power around 380 kW. Those are meaningful results, but they describe what happens at a compatible high-power station. Daily ownership may instead depend on access to the charger near work or home. The network can be extensive while a particular driver's most useful charging option remains unavailable.

Choose the delivered hardware, not just the advertised Li Auto

• You are considering a 2026 Li Auto i6 and care about the battery's manufacturer or supply chain. Ask the retailer to identify the battery configuration assigned to the specific vehicle before delivery. Ministry filings list Sunwoda and CALB cell manufacturers for two 2026 i6 battery configurations, whereas the 2025 i6 used CATL and Sunwoda. The sources do not establish which battery a particular buyer will receive, or whether charging and range behavior differ between configurations.
• Fast public charging is central to your ownership plan. Validate the charging claim on the infrastructure you will actually use. One rear-wheel-drive i6 owner measured a charge from 5% to 80% at a Li Auto 5C supercharger in about 10 minutes, with peak power above 500 kW and average power around 380 kW. Li Auto had 4,097 supercharging stations and 22,593 charging piles as of the end of June, but the source material does not say where those sites are located or whether they are accessible to every buyer.
• You need a practical battery EV for a workplace or home charging routine. Check access restrictions before choosing a Tesla alternative. One shopper's workplace did not allow Tesla vehicles into its underground garage, which prevented use of inexpensive slow-charging stations there; that constraint helped make the i6 more workable. This is a site-specific consideration, not evidence of a general policy.
• You are shopping for a comfort-oriented family EV rather than maximizing acceleration. The rear-wheel-drive i6 is the better fit if its standard comfort equipment matters more than outright performance: it has Nappa seats, 10-point front-seat massage, ventilation for four seats, heating for five seats, soft-closing doors, a HUD, and 20 speakers. Its single motor is rated at 250 kW and 425 Nm, with 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds.
• You want Li Auto's most home-like, multi-row interior and are willing to pay for it. Consider the MEGA Home rather than treating the i6 as interchangeable with it. The new MEGA Home is priced at 509,800 yuan and includes four zero-gravity positions across the first two rows, heating and ventilation across all three rows, plus standard steer-by-wire and rear-wheel steering. The 270-degree electrically dimmable glass is optional and costs 15,000 yuan.

Ask for the delivered car's hardware record

Before delivery, ask for a written hardware record tied to the delivered car: its build or delivery batch, cell maker, battery-pack revision, and battery-assembly producer. Also request the applicable software version and the charging policy that governs the advertised charging curve.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology filing cited by the outlet identifies Shandong Li Auto Battery Co., Ltd. as pack assembler for battery configurations of the 2026 Li Auto i6, with Sunwoda and CALB named as cell manufacturers. That is a reason to document the car itself, rather than rely on its model name.

Ask the seller to confirm which of those records applies before signing. Keep the response with the order paperwork and delivery documents. sspai describes an order placed on May 2, a store arrival on May 18, and delivery on May 23; those separate dates show why a delivery-batch record can matter even after an order is placed.

Li Auto has said its new-generation MEGA, all-new i9, and 2026 i6 will progressively use Li Auto-branded batteries in the fourth quarter of this year, subject to product and delivery schedules, according to the outlet. Li Auto and Sunwoda also registered a joint venture with each party contributing 50%, while Li Auto invested 2.65 billion yuan in Sunwoda Power. Those relationships explain supplier relevance; they do not identify the hardware in one buyer's car.

Charging-network scale is not a substitute for this record. ifanr reports 4,097 supercharging stations and 22,593 charging piles at the end of June, with 4C and 5C piles comprising 70%.

Available evidence does not establish warranty differences, service treatment, resale consequences, or a buyer's right to choose a cell supplier. It also does not specify the delivered car's charging curve or future software changes. Get those answers in writing, or treat them as unknown.

Ask the dealer to put the delivered car's battery cell maker, pack revision, charging curve, software support policy, and expected delivery batch in writing. The advertised specification, according to ifanr, is a 108 kWh ternary-lithium 5C battery, dual-motor all-wheel drive, and 710 km of CLTC range; confirm that those details match the vehicle assigned to you.

Also price the hardware you will actually use. The 270-degree dimmable glass costs 15,000 yuan, while steer-by-wire, rear-wheel steering, air springs, CDC dampers, and the active anti-roll bar are standard. Check home and workplace charging access before treating cabin luxury as the deciding configuration difference.

For readers outside China

• Availability: The source material documents Li Auto's China retail and charging footprint, but does not say that the i6 is sold outside China. Li Auto plans to introduce a right-hand-drive MEGA to Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, and Thailand by the end of 2026. Availability in other markets is not disclosed in sources.
• Pricing: A buyer's rear-wheel-drive i6 had a discounted vehicle price of 254,800 yuan. Their rear entertainment screen and streaming rearview mirror cost 10,000 yuan; insurance was 7,289.56 yuan, purchase tax was 11,274.33 yuan, and the reported total on-road price was 273,363.89 yuan. The new MEGA Home has a nationwide unified retail price of 509,800 yuan.
• Closest Western equivalents: Tesla Model Y - a rear-wheel-drive Model Y was one of the final alternatives considered by an i6 buyer.
• Data residency: The source material does not cover vehicle-data storage, cross-border data transfers, app availability, connected-service availability, or assisted-driving data handling.

Sources

• ifanr 50.98 万元！新理想 MEGA 发布：前两排零重力座椅，加入后轮转向，还要推出右舵版 https://ifanr.com/1678181
• sspai 「正常」已是不易：聊聊不那么标新立异的理想 i6 https://sspai.com/post/113605
• 36kr 理想汽车引入第三家电池供应商，中创新航上车理想i6｜36氪独家 https://36kr.com/p/3974819731026177
• ifanr 理想换了一种活法！理想 i9、新 MEGA 即将发布，李想：纯电销量已经追平增程 https://ifanr.com/1677019