China’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer Li Auto expects to leverage the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s platform role via Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s Central Asia visit to strengthen its brand presence and service capabilities, as it eyes a deeper expansion in the region.
Lee is currently on a weeklong visit covering Central Asia’s Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with a 70-strong delegation including local and Chinese mainland entrepreneurs to boost trade cooperation.
Among the delegates is Li Guanhua, senior vice-president of the Beijing-based Li Auto, who said her company views the visit as an ideal chance to enhance strategic collaboration with overseas governments, leverage the Hong Kong SAR's platform capabilities, and publicize the company's product strength.
“We hope that with the backing of this kind of government-led initiative, Chinese brands can truly stand from China's perspective — and from the perspective of China's new energy vehicle industry — and project real brand power to a (foreign) country and even to the whole region,” she told China Daily during the visit.
Li said both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are embracing green power and green energy; thus, she believes that new energy has a bright future there.
She added that the two countries’ large young population and strong family values are a perfect match for Li Auto, as it offers a wide range of products suitable for families, including SUVs.
Li said that Li Auto has established a strong foothold in Central Asia since 2025, which she described as an “important bridgehead” for Chinese enterprises going global because of its strategic location — at a core point in the Belt and Road Initiative.
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The company has secured three distributors in Uzbekistan and launched its first overseas retail center in its capital, Tashkent, in October. It has also partnered with two local collaborators and opened five branches across three cities in Kazakhstan.
Li noted that intelligent connections are the next frontier for EVs, with intelligentization — including smart cockpits and autonomous driving — being just as important as electrification.
She said that the company's new embodied-intelligence SUV will reach Central Asian users in the third quarter of this year.
“Li Auto now has an established, excellent structure in the two countries with high vehicle ownership. Local recognition of our brand is steadily growing,” Li said.
“We hope that in the future, Li Auto will become the top choice for luxury cars in these two countries, or across Central Asia as a whole.”
In addition, Li said she noticed that women made up a notably high proportion of the delegation, many of whom excelled through a combination of professional competence and gentle communication.
“Nowadays, girls already outperform in learning, innovation, and expression, and with the support of artificial intelligence, they have even greater opportunities to shine in a new era.”
