Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-258378
Prospectus Supplement
(To Prospectus dated August 2, 2021)
Li Auto Inc.
Up to US$2,000,000,000
of American Depositary Shares
Representing Class A Ordinary Shares
We have entered into an equity distribution agreement with Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C., UBS Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., and China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities Limited, or the sales agents, relating to the American depositary shares, or ADSs, each representing two Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of Li Auto Inc. The ADSs are offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the equity distribution agreement, we may offer and sell the ADSs with an aggregate offering price of up to US$2,000,000,000 from time to time on the Nasdaq Global Select Market for the ADSs through the sales agents acting as our agents.
The ADSs are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “LI.” On June 27, 2022, the last reported trading price of the ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was US$39.13 per ADS. The Class A ordinary shares are listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, or the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, under the stock code “2015.” On June 28, 2022, the last reported trading price of the Class A ordinary shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was HK$158.30 per share, or US$40.42 per ADS based on an exchange rate of HK$7.8325 to US$1.00 as of March 31, 2022. Our outstanding share capital consists of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and is not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Each Class B ordinary share is entitled to ten votes, subject to certain conditions, and is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof.
Sales of the ADSs pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will be made in sales deemed to be “at the market offerings” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, by means of ordinary brokers’ transactions, to or through a market maker, on or through the Nasdaq Global Select Market for the ADSs, or as otherwise agreed with the sales agents. The sales agents are not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of the ADSs, but will use their reasonable efforts consistent with their normal trading and sales practices and applicable laws and regulations to sell ADSs designated by us in accordance with the equity distribution agreement. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust, or similar arrangement.
We will designate the maximum number of ADSs to be sold through the sales agents on a daily basis or otherwise as we and the sales agents agree and the minimum price per ADSs at which such ADSs may be sold. We may instruct the sales agents not to sell any ADSs if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. We or any sales agent, with respect to itself only, may suspend the ADS offering by notifying the other parties.
The sales agents will be entitled to compensation at a commission rate of up to 1.3% of the gross sales price per ADS sold. In connection with the sales of the ADSs on our behalf, the sales agents may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of the sales agents may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. The net proceeds that we receive will be the gross proceeds received from such sales less the sales agents’ fees and commissions and any other expenses that we may incur in the sales of ADSs. See “Plan of Distribution” for further information.
We have applied to list the Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs subject to this offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange pursuant to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Listing Rules.
Investing in the ADSs involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-23 of this prospectus supplement, in the accompanying prospectus, and in any documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. Li Auto Inc. is not a Chinese operating company but a Cayman Islands holding company with no equity ownership in VIEs and their subsidiaries. We conduct our operations in China through (i) our PRC subsidiaries and (ii) the VIEs, with which we have maintained contractual arrangements, and their subsidiaries. PRC laws and regulations restrict and impose conditions on foreign investment in value-added telecommunication services and certain other businesses. Accordingly, we operate these businesses in China through the VIEs and their subsidiaries, and rely on contractual arrangements among our PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs, and their nominee shareholders, which provide our subsidiary with a controlling financial interest in the VIEs as that term is defined in FASB ASC 810 making it the primary beneficiary of the VIEs and enable us to consolidate their operating results in our financial statements under U.S. GAAP. Revenues contributed by the VIEs accounted for 100.0%, 84.6%, and 23.3% of our total revenues in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. As used in this prospectus supplement, “we,” “us,” “our company,” “our,” or “Li Auto” refers to Li Auto Inc., its subsidiaries, and, in the context of describing our operations and consolidated financial information, the VIEs in China, including but not limited to Beijing CHJ Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing CHJ, and Beijing Xindian Transport Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Xindian Information. Investors in the ADSs are not purchasing equity interest in the VIEs in China but instead are purchasing equity interest in a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands.
Our corporate structure is subject to risks relating to our contractual arrangements with the VIEs. If the PRC government deems that our contractual arrangements with the VIEs do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations. Our Cayman Islands holding company, PRC subsidiaries, and the VIEs and their subsidiaries, and investors of Li Auto Inc. face uncertainties relating to potential future actions by the PRC government that could affect the enforceability of the contractual arrangements with the VIEs and, consequently, significantly affect the financial performance of the VIEs and Li Auto Inc. as a whole. For a detailed description of the risks associated with our corporate structure, see “Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure” in our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, or our 2021 Annual Report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We face various risks and uncertainties relating to doing business in China. Our business operations are primarily conducted in China, and we are subject to complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations. For example, we face risks relating to regulatory approvals on overseas offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the lack of inspection on our auditor by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, which may impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, accept foreign investments, or list and conduct offerings on a United States or another foreign exchange. These risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of the ADSs, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to continue to offer securities to investors, or cause the value of such securities to significantly decline. For a detailed description of risks relating to doing business in China, see “Item 3.D. Key Information — Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Doing Business in China” in the 2021 Annual Report.
The PCAOB is currently unable to inspect our auditor in relation to its audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections over our auditor deprives our investors with the benefits of such inspections. The ADSs will be prohibited from trading in the United States under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or fully investigate auditors located in China. On December 16, 2021, PCAOB issued the HFCAA Determination Report, according to which our auditor is subject to the determinations that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely. Under the current law, delisting and prohibition from over-the-counter trading in the United States could take place in 2024. The delisting of the ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. In addition, the proposed changes to the law would decrease the number of non-inspection years from three years to two, thus reducing the time period before the ADSs may be prohibited from over-the-counter trading or delisted. If the proposed provision is enacted, the ADS could be delisted from the exchange and prohibited from over-the-counter trading in the United States in 2023. Li Auto Inc. was named by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as a Commission-Identified Issuer shortly following the filing of the 2021 Annual Report. For more details, see “Prospectus Supplement Summary — The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act.”
Li Auto Inc. is a Cayman Islands holding company with no operations of its own. We conduct our operations in China through our PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs and their subsidiaries. As a result, although other means are available for us to obtain financing at the Cayman Islands holding company level, Li Auto Inc.’s ability to pay dividends to the shareholders and to service any debt that it may incur may depend upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries and service fees paid by the VIEs and their subsidiaries. If any of our subsidiaries incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends to Li Auto Inc. In addition, under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries are permitted to pay dividends only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Furthermore, our PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs and their subsidiaries are required to make appropriations to certain statutory reserve funds or may make appropriations to certain discretionary funds, which are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of a solvent liquidation of the companies. For more details, see “Prospectus Supplement Summary — Cash and Asset Flows Through Our Organization” in this prospectus supplement.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined that this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C.UBS Investment Bank Barclays CICC
Prospectus Supplement dated June 28, 2022.