Li Auto Expands into Wearables with Plan for AI Smart Glasses

Li Xiang, the founder and chairman of Li Auto, has officially announced the company’s entry into the smart wearables market. In a video released on social media, Li confirmed plans to launch AI-powered smart glasses, describing the device as the company's "best artificial intelligence accessory."

The announcement signals a strategic effort to extend the automaker's digital ecosystem beyond the vehicle cockpit. Li also revealed that the company is considering the development of AI smart speakers. The primary objective is to allow the company's AI capabilities to cover a broader range of user scenarios, resolving the current limitation where the in-car voice assistant is inaccessible once the driver exits the vehicle.

Unlike some competitors venturing into smartphone manufacturing, Li Auto has opted for wearables to maintain continuous AI engagement. The company believes smart glasses offer a more seamless interaction method than smartphone applications, which require unlocking and manual navigation.

Preparation for this expansion has been underway for some time. Management reportedly discussed the feasibility of self-developed smart glasses during strategic meetings last autumn. Furthermore, the company established a specific "Wearable Robot" department in June 2025 to create the organizational structure for this new product line.

This move aligns with Li’s long-standing assertion that Li Auto is fundamentally an artificial intelligence enterprise rather than solely a car manufacturer. The company is leveraging its "MindVLA" autonomous driving architecture—previously described by Li as a "robot large model"—to integrate spatial, linguistic, and behavioral intelligence. The upcoming hardware is expected to utilize this architecture to facilitate seamless connectivity between the user and the vehicle's systems.

While the initiative opens a new avenue for growth, Li Auto faces a market that is still in its exploratory phase. The success of the AI glasses will ultimately depend on consumer acceptance and the company’s ability to prove the utility of its AI ecosystem outside the automotive environment.