Li Auto pushes its VLA Driver model to all AD Max cars

Background

Li Auto announced on 30 August 2025 that the full rollout of its VLA Driver model would begin on 10 September 2025. The release was described as OTA 8.0, a software update scheduled for September 2025 that would deliver the model to all AD Max users. An over-the-air update is a way of distributing vehicle software remotely, so that a new version can reach cars without a workshop visit. For drivers, the visible result is a software version change and, in this case, a new driving model.^[1][2]

What happened

Li Auto said OTA 8.0 in September 2025 would deliver the VLA Driver model to all AD Max users.^[1] The company's 30 August announcement set 10 September 2025 as the start of the full rollout.^[2] The rollout was described as covering the whole AD Max user base. The two dates, 30 August and 10 September 2025, frame the announcement and the start of the push.^[2]

Key details

Li Auto reported usage figures from the early period. An early Li i8 owner made a single-day VLA drive of more than 770 km, and the longest single trip on VLA exceeded 420 km.^[2] After VLA shipped with the Li i8, the company said daily assisted-driving usage tripled. Mileage penetration of assisted driving rose 2.2 times, and daily parking-assist usage rose 2.1 times.^[2] Li Auto also said its take-over mileage interval had risen to more than 220 km, a 20-fold improvement in about a year.^[2] As of 29 August 2025, the company said its owners had driven 4.9 billion km on assisted driving.^[2]

How the figures read

The figures measure different things. Mileage penetration refers to the share of driving distance covered with assistance active. The take-over mileage interval is the distance travelled between moments when a human driver takes control; a longer interval means fewer take-overs over the same distance. Parking assist covers the parking manoeuvre rather than road driving. Read together, the numbers describe frequency of use, share of assisted mileage, and continuity of operation. They are company-reported usage figures, and the event is the point at which the model was pushed to the AD Max user base.^[2]

Why it matters

For Li Auto, the rollout put a new driver model into the AD Max fleet through software. The reported changes — more daily assisted driving, more parking assist, and a longer take-over interval — are the company's own measures of how the system was used after release.^[2] The 4.9 billion km figure gives scale: by 29 August 2025, Li Auto said its owners had accumulated that distance on assisted driving.^[2] The rollout date, 10 September 2025, marks when the full push was set to begin, while OTA 8.0 in September 2025 is the release vehicle for the model.^[1][2]