Li Auto is now seeking a Marketing and PR Manager for the Netherlands, confirming that the Beijing-based automaker intends to enter the Dutch market as part of its planned European debut scheduled for later this year.
The LinkedIn posting states that the position involves “developing and executing brand marketing, public relations, media communication, and product promotion activities in the Netherlands market.”
Additionally, the person selected for the role will work on increasing “brand awareness, market penetration, and corporate reputation” in alignment with the company’s European business strategy.
Key responsibilities include planning and executing “integrated marketing campaigns, including digital marketing, social media, events, auto shows, sponsorships, and product launches,” as well as building relationships with “media, PR agencies, influencers, dealers, and industry stakeholders.”
The role also involves coordinating with “sales, dealer network, aftersales, and product teams” — language that points to a full commercial infrastructure in development, not just a marketing outpost.
Despite the focus on the Dutch market, the PR will also “support European regional marketing projects and cross-country campaigns when required by management.”
Follows Benelux Executive Hire
The job posting follows Li Auto‘s appointment of Zach Zhou as Deputy General Manager of Europe and Managing Director of Benelux in May.
Zhou, formerly responsible for Chery Automobile‘s European corporate and fleet sales and a longtime XPeng overseas executive based in Amsterdam, brought direct experience in the Dutch automotive market to the role.
His hire signaled that Li Auto had selected the Benelux region — Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg — as its first European commercial foothold.
The new marketing position now adds operational depth below that executive layer, suggesting a market entry timeline that extends beyond exploratory staffing.
Founder and CEO Li Xiang confirmed during the company’s first-quarter earnings call on May 28 that Li Auto will enter Europe with the fully electric i6 SUV later this year.
The company is also set to make its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October.
i6 as European Spearhead
Li Auto built its business in China on extended-range electric vehicles, a powertrain that pairs a battery-electric drivetrain with a small petrol engine acting as a generator.
EREVs deliver combined ranges exceeding 1,000 kilometers and have been the brand’s core strength domestically.
However, EREVs are classified alongside fully electric vehicles under the European Union’s tariff framework, meaning Li Auto‘s L-series SUVs would face the same countervailing duties imposed on Chinese-made BEVs.
Only plug-in hybrids and conventional hybrids sit outside those measures, removing any tariff advantage the EREV format might have carried.
The i6 launched in China last September at a starting price of 249,800 yuan ($36,900) for the rear-wheel-drive variant, with an all-wheel-drive version at 269,800 yuan ($39,800).
The five-seat SUV carries an 87.3 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery from CATL or Sunwoda, sits on an 800-volt platform supporting 5C charging at up to 500 kW, and delivers a CLTC range of 720 km on a full charge.
The i6 accounted for the majority of Li Auto‘s deliveries in April and positions against the Tesla Model Y and XPeng‘s G7 in both China and, potentially, Europe.
Crowded Chinese Field in the Netherlands
Li Auto will enter a Netherlands market where Chinese automakers have already established a significant and rapidly growing presence, according to BOVAG registration data for the first five months of 2026.
BYD is the largest Chinese brand in the country, registering 2,524 vehicles in the January-to-May period, up 87.8% from 1,344 in the same stretch of 2025.
The Seal U accounted for the bulk of volume at 1,368 year-to-date registrations, followed by the Atto 2 at 274, the Seal 6 at 253, and the Dolphin Surf at 210.
Chery‘s dual-brand strategy through Omoda and Jaecoo has also gained rapid traction. Jaecoo registered 1,353 vehicles year to date, up from just 12 in the same period of 2025, driven almost entirely by the Jaecoo 7.
Omoda added another 582 registrations, bringing the Chery group’s combined Netherlands total to 1,935 units through May.
Leapmotor, distributed through its Stellantis joint venture, registered 1,317 vehicles year to date, up from 254 a year earlier.
The B10, which had no registrations in the prior-year period, led volume at 550 units, followed by the T03 at 448 and the C10 at 319.
Geely-owned Lynk & Co registered 1,111 vehicles through May, SAIC-owned MG posted 1,042 year-to-date registrations and Zeekr, another Geely brand, sold 490 vehicles.
XPeng, which has operated in the Netherlands since 2021 and whose former executive Zhou now leads Li Auto‘s Benelux operations, registered 405 vehicles year to date, slightly below the 465 recorded in the same period last year.
Smaller Chinese-linked presences include Polestar at 434 registrations, Smart at 218, and Dongfeng at 53.
Nio registered just 39 vehicles through May, though the Firefly sub-brand added 33 of those.
Chinese brands have grown their collective share of the Dutch market considerably over the past year, making the competitive environment substantially different from what Li Auto would have faced had it entered Europe alongside peers like XPeng and Nio in 2021 or 2022.
Domestic Pressure Driving Expansion
Li Auto‘s European push comes as the company faces sustained pressure at home.
May deliveries fell 18% year on year to 33,350 units, breaking a two-month rebound.
The company delivered 406,343 vehicles in 2025, falling 37% short of its revised 640,000-unit target.
Founder Li Xiang set a 20% growth target for 2026, aiming for approximately 490,000 deliveries, with international expansion cited as one of the levers for reaching that figure.
Li Auto opened a German R&D center in early 2025 focused on styling, power semiconductors, chassis systems, electric drivetrains, and regulatory certification.
The company has also joined the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU, whose Automotive Working Group is led by Nio‘s Vice-President Hui Zhang.
Beyond Europe, Li Auto entered Central Asia in October 2025 with its first overseas showroom in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and has since expanded into Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
