Li Auto made its first move into Africa, officially launching in Egypt after a brand event at Cairo’s Baron Palace, as the Chinese “new energy vehicle” maker ramps up its overseas rollout.
The company said the Egypt debut came alongside new retail footholds in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in the same week, giving it an early spread across Central Asia, the Caucasus and Africa.
Li Auto head of international business Nestor Wu said the three launches “stand for the achievement of our first phase of international development,” adding: “This is built on strong local partnerships, driven by our long-term commitment to deeply serving local users.”
In Egypt, Li Auto partners GB Auto, which the company describes as the country’s largest and top-selling automotive distributor. GB Auto is set to open two shopping mall stores in Cairo to bring the brand closer to buyers.
Kazakhstan is handled through a mix of subsidiary operations and dealer partnerships. Li Auto said fully operational showrooms are already open in Almaty and Astana, run by Doscar Group and Allur Group respectively, which it described as among the country’s top five dealer groups.
In Azerbaijan, Li Auto named Efendiler Auto as its official importer and distributor, with a retail centre in Baku.
Vehicles offered in these markets include the firm’s range-extended electric SUV line-up: the Li L6, Li L7 and Li L9.
Li Auto said customers buying through authorised centres would receive official warranty coverage, aftersales support, genuine parts logistics, technical back-up and over-the-air software updates.
