For Li Auto, the release of the MEGA minivan was supposed to be a triumphant entry into the pure electric vehicle market. Instead, the teardrop-shaped multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) became the center of a social media firestorm, with its avant-garde silhouette drawing unfortunate comparisons to funeral hearses. Despite a subsequent cooling of sales and a strategic pivot by the company, Li Auto’s Vice President of Design, Na Jia, remains steadfast in his defense of the vehicle’s aesthetic choices.
In a recent interview with LatePost, Na Jia addressed the elephant in the room: whether the MEGA’s design was a failure that directly crippled its commercial performance. Na Jia refused to characterize the project as a mistake, arguing that the vehicle, along with the L-series SUVs, successfully realized the brand’s 'Future Icon' design language. From his perspective, the success of a design is measured by its adherence to a long-term brand identity rather than immediate market adulation.
The controversy has also raised questions about the internal creative culture at Li Auto, with many industry observers speculating that the design was a result of CEO Li Xiang’s personal whims. Na Jia sought to dispel the notion that he was simply fulfilling the founder’s demands. He characterized his collaboration with Li Xiang as a shared exploration of uncharted territory, noting that while the ideas often originated from the CEO, they represented a level of novelty that he, as a designer, felt compelled to test.
However, the market reality has been less forgiving than the design studio’s vision. The MEGA’s lackluster sales contributed to Li Auto’s recent decision to delay the launch of other pure electric models and refocus on its core strength: extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs). While Na Jia views the design as a success in terms of brand differentiation, the incident highlights the perilous gap between high-concept industrial design and the traditional cultural sensitivities of the Chinese consumer base.