China’s rival to the Tesla Cybertruck costs over $25k less but can’t be bought in America

China’s rival to the Tesla Cybertruck costs over $25k less but isn’t available to buy in America.

Li Auto is the latest Chinese company to emerge to challenge Tesla’s dominance in the EV market.

Their staple car – the Li Auto L9 – is a luxury SUV launched in 2022.

Should this car be rolled out in foreign markets, it could prove to be a formidable rival for Tesla.

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China’s answer to the Tesla Cybertruck

With EVs becoming increasingly popular in recent years, Tesla can no longer be assured of being the top dog in the market.

Many brands are putting out their own takes on the environmentally friendly car, whether it’s Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, or Porsche.

Now, a big rival appears to be coming from China.

BYD is just one such company set to take on Tesla, and its proposed mega-factory shows that it means business.

But BYD isn’t the only Chinese company taking this route.

Li Auto was founded in 2015 and has manufacturing facilities in Changzhou.

In 2024, the company’s revenue came out at $953 million (144 billion yen), and approximately 500,000 cars were produced.

By way of comparison, Tesla made double the amount of cars, and brought in a revenue of $97.7 billion.

So there is still a long way to go before the two are neck and neck.

But if the Li Auto L9 is anything to go by, Tesla shouldn’t be resting on its laurels for too long.

A closer look at the Li Auto L9

The Li Auto L9 comes fitted with a cinema screen infotainment system, alongside 11 cameras and radar technology.

But it’s not just a nice car to look at it – it handles great on the roads.

It can reach 62mph in 5.3 seconds when put into Optimum Mode.

Even at a standard setting, it can still reach that speed in a commendable six seconds.

With top speeds of 112mph, the Auto 9 is no garage queen – this car needs to be out on the open roads.

Compared to the Cybertruck, it’s not quite as fast – the Tesla can reach 60mph in 2.6 seconds and can hit top speeds of 130mph.

But on range, the Auto L9 leaves the Cybertruck in the dust, as it’s capable of going 877 miles on a single charge.

In contrast, the Cybertruck can only go for 325.

As for the kicker? It’s a ton cheaper.

The L9 goes for the equivalent of $63,000, which is around $25k cheaper than what buyers are paying for a Cybertruck.

Li has not yet entered foreign markets such as the UK or the EU, so time will tell if its car can usurp Tesla’s dominance.

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