Li Auto Mega: the electric MPV with less drag than a Porsche Taycan

► A deep-dive on one of the Beijing show’s most interesting cars
► Focuses on families and interior space
► It’s what the Porsche 992 designer did next

The Beijing auto show felt more like a tech convention than a motor show, with hundreds of people gathered around shiny new products from brands you’ve probably never heard of.

But in the same way Xiaomi and Huawei (who now make EVs in China by the way) produce Android phones that look relatively similar to each other, all the EVs and range-extenders (which are particularly big in China) can turn into an analogous ball of mobility. That is, all except the Li Auto Mega.

Penned by ex-Porsche designer Ben Baum (whose work includes the current Porsche 992), and with a brand mission closer to Apple than Ford, its sci-fi curves cut a rarely distinctive figure on the show floor. So much so, that we had to go and find out about Li Auto’s first full electric car.

It does! That comes from the super clean lines – a permanent fixture of Baum’s vision for Li Auto’s line-up – as well as the need for space and a range of at least 700km (CLTC) – no mean feat considering its 5350mm length, 1965mm width and 100kWh battery.

‘The only way we could solve this problem is to have a very, very low aerodynamic value: 0.215Cd. It’s a better drag coefficient than the Porsche Taycan (0.22 Cd), and that’s also enabled us to give it this really nice silhouette,’ he adds. A spec sheet reveals the Mega can achieve 710km CLTC from its 102.5kwh battery, so that’s mission accomplished.

As for CLTC? It’s short for China Light-Duty Vehicles Test Cycle – and it’s essentially the same as WLTP, with the main difference being that it’s carried out at lower speeds. As a result, the range figures it produces are usually around 10-15% more generous than the WLTP figures we’re used to.

Take the MG 4. It has a 425km (264 mile) CLTC range, and a 350km (217 mile) WLTP range. So all things roughly translated, the Mega can do around 350 miles on a tank.

Power comes from a 155kW motor at the front with 232Nm of torque and a rear motor with 245kW and 310Nm of torque. A combined 400kW and 542Nm means it’ll hit 0–62mph in an extremely unnecessary 5.5 seconds.