In the first quarter of this year, LI’s net loss continued to narrow.

On the evening of May 10th, LI released its financial report for the first quarter of 2022. The financial report shows that in the first quarter of this year, LI achieved revenue of 9.56 billion yuan, an increase of 167.5% year-on-year (compared with the same period of last year) and a decrease of 10% quarter-on-quarter; The net loss was 10.9 million yuan, and the loss narrowed by 97%.　

For the second quarter, ideally, the delivery volume is expected to be 21,000 to 24,000 vehicles, up 19.5% to 36.6% year-on-year; The total revenue was 6.16 billion to 7.04 billion yuan, up 22.3% to 39.8% year-on-year.

In the third quarter of this year, LI’s second product L9 will be available. At the earnings conference call, Li Xiang, CEO of LI, introduced LI’s product strategy in detail for the first time. He said that LI’s product portfolio is similar to that of iPhone, and it will launch an explosive product in the price range of 200,000-500,000 yuan and every 100,000 yuan, covering two technical routes: extended range and pure electricity. He also revealed that LI will launch its first medium-sized product of 200,000-300,000 yuan next year.

LI revenue data

LI delivery data

Operating cash flow is positive for eight consecutive quarters.

Financially, LI is still as steady as ever.

According to the specific financial data, LI’s vehicle sales revenue in the first quarter was 9.31 billion yuan, an increase of 168.7% compared with 3.46 billion yuan in the same period last year, mainly due to the increase in vehicles delivered in the first quarter of 2022; Compared with 10.38 billion yuan in the fourth quarter of last year, it decreased by 10.3%, mainly due to the seasonal impact of the Spring Festival holiday.

The ideal gross profit margin of vehicles has maintained a steady growth, reaching 22.4%, compared with 16.9% in the same period last year and 22.3% in the fourth quarter of last year. Although this car gross profit margin data is not as good as Tesla’s high gross profit margin level of about 30%, it is better than the car gross profit margin level of 10% of most traditional car companies.

Ideally, the year-on-year increase in vehicle gross profit margin was mainly due to the increase in the average selling price of the 2021 Li ONE launched in May last year.

As can be seen from the financial report of the past year, the price increase of the modified models in May last year has a significant pulling effect on the gross profit margin of automobiles in LI. On April 1st this year, the price of LI increased by 18,000 yuan, which will offset the recent raw material security problems, and LI is still expected to maintain a good gross profit margin level in the second quarter.

In terms of R&D investment, in the first quarter of 2022, LI’s R&D investment was 1.37 billion yuan, up 167.0% year-on-year and 11.7% quarter-on-quarter. Ideally, R&D investment has reached a record high, mainly due to the increase in R&D personnel and new vehicle R&D activities.

In the same period, LI’s sales, general and management expenses were 1.2 billion yuan, up 135.9% year-on-year.　

In terms of cash flow, its operating cash flow in the first quarter increased by 98% year on year to 1.83 billion yuan.

It is worth noting that this is the eighth consecutive quarter that LI has achieved positive operating cash flow. Among several new car companies, LI has always attached great importance to its financial stability and resilience, and Li Xiang himself has repeatedly emphasized the concept of "not making profits and never spending money blindly" in public.

LI cash flow data

By the end of the first quarter, LI’s cash reserves stood at 51.19 billion yuan. For the new power enterprises in the growth period, sufficient cash reserves also mean continuous R&D investment, marketing investment, sales and service network expansion ability.

Supply chain risks still exist, with the highest delivery volume of 24,000 vehicles in the second quarter.

Due to the uncertainty of supply chain and epidemic situation, the delivery guideline of LI in the second quarter is 21,000 to 24,000 vehicles.

In the past April, the automobile industry was affected by the epidemic, and the production base in LI, Jiangsu Province, was under heavy pressure. In April, a total of 4,167 Li ONE vehicles were delivered, down 62% from the previous month.

It is reported that LI Changzhou base is located in Changzhou, Jiangsu, and more than 80% of LI’s parts suppliers are located in the Yangtze River Delta region.

In the earnings conference call, LI co-founder and president Shen Yanan said, "The biggest risk in LI comes from the production situation of suppliers."

In response to supply chain risks, Shen Yanan said that Ideal hopes to certify more suppliers so that there will be more room for supply. At the same time, some short-term measures will be taken to deal with the current problems.

Regarding the question of whether the ideal will raise prices in the near future, Shen Yanan said that the price increase on April 1 has taken into account all foreseeable cost increases in a certain period of time in the future. "At this stage, there is no need to raise prices." However, he also mentioned that the company has strict monitoring measures in terms of cost fluctuations, and will continue to observe and follow up market demand to determine the selling price.

In addition, Shen Yanan added that the price increase on April 1 had a slight impact on sales in the first half of April, but since the second half of April, orders have resumed a good growth rate.

Benchmark Apple again: the product portfolio is like iPhone.

For the future product planning, Li Xiang said, first of all, two different power modes, extended range and pure electric, will adopt different body shapes. Extended range is suitable for SUV models, and pure electric will use "a brand-new shape". He said, "It is different from any product on the market today."

Secondly, different price strategies are adopted. In the price range of 200,000-500,000, there will be a heavyweight explosion product every 100,000 price range. At the same time, in every price range, there will be two power modes: extended range and pure electricity. Li Xiang thinks that the price of Li ONE is 300,000, which can be extended up and down quickly.

Interestingly, Li Xiang seems to have a "soft spot" for Apple when domestic car companies are bidding for old luxury cars.

For the above product combination scheme, Li Xiang compared it to "iPhone". Li Xiang explained, "iPhone is to launch products with different price points, such as iPhone12, iPhone12 Pro and iPhone12 Mini, with the help of a set of technical platforms, to accurately meet the needs of consumers."

At the 2021 earnings conference call in February, Li Xiang once said that the next five or ten years will focus on smart electric vehicles, and the ideal goal is to achieve Apple’s level in the field of smart electric vehicles ten years later.

In the third quarter of 2022, LI’s second model "Ideal L9" will be delivered. In addition, Li Xiang also revealed that next year, LI will launch the first medium-sized pure electric product with a price of 200,000-300,000 yuan. The appearance of this model will make LI truly face the corresponding price products of competitors such as Tesla, Weilai and Tucki.

Li Xiang once said that expansion does not mean spending more money, but spending more effectively. "We can give up profits, but to ensure a higher gross profit margin, as long as we ensure positive cash flow, we will invest all our gross profit in technology research and development and user service."

In the face of intensive research and development of new products in the next few years, whether the current model can support the rapid expansion of LI’s product portfolio will soon be revealed.

Or driven by performance, as of press time, LI stocks rose 7.8% to $20.38 per share.

CCTV News:The State Council Office held a policy briefing yesterday (April 21), and the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Finance introduced the interest-free and principal deferred repayment policies of the national student loan in 2023.

This year, the number of college graduates is expected to reach 11.58 million, an increase of 820,000 over the previous year. In order to further reduce the burden of college graduates with financial difficulties in their families, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Finance said that it has decided to continue to implement the national policy of interest-free student loans and deferred repayment of principal.

Irving Han, Assistant Minister of Finance:Students who graduated from this year and previous years will continue to be exempted from the national student loan interest that should be repaid this year, and the principal part can be postponed for another year, with no penalty interest and compound interest.

　　　　　　 The data shows that since its implementation in 1999, China has issued more than 400 billion yuan of student loans, which have helped more than 20 million students with financial difficulties. In recent years, the Ministry of Finance, together with the Ministry of Education, the People’s Bank of China and China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, has continuously adjusted the national student loan policy: in 2020, the term of student loan was extended and the interest rate of student loan was reduced; In 2021, the maximum loan amount of national student loans was raised to better meet the student loan demand; In 2022, the national student loan interest for college graduates with financial difficulties will be exempted in stages and the repayment of the principal will be allowed to be postponed.

Ministry of Finance: This year’s policy is expected to benefit about 4 million college graduates.

At the briefing, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Finance said that the continuation of the national student loan interest-free and principal deferred repayment policy this year is expected to benefit about 4 million college graduates.

Owen Han said that in 2022, the state introduced the policy of interest-free student loans and deferred repayment of principal in order to help graduates with financial difficulties ease the employment pressure. Since the implementation of the policy, a total of 1.95 billion yuan of loan interest has been exempted, benefiting 3.79 million people; College graduates independently applied for deferred repayment of principal totaling 590 million yuan, benefiting 100,000 people.

Irving Han, Assistant Minister of Finance:This year, it is estimated that the loan interest will be exempted by 2.325 billion yuan, and the amount of principal that can be applied for deferred repayment is about 5.5 billion yuan, benefiting about 4 million college graduates.

Since 2020, the national student loan policy has been adjusted and improved for four consecutive years. At present, according to the different places where students apply, national student loans are divided into two types: campus national student loans and student-origin credit student loans. Full-time college students and graduate students can choose according to their own actual situation; Not only that, but the loan amount is also increasing.

　　　　　　 Huang Jiayu, Director of the Department of Science, Education and Culture of the Ministry of Finance:At present, the maximum loan for each junior college student is 12,000 yuan per year, and the maximum loan for each graduate student is 16,000 yuan per year, both of which have been greatly improved. The loan is used to pay the tuition and accommodation fees of students during their school days, and the excess can be used to make up for the daily living expenses of students.

Ministry of Education: I need to apply for the deferred repayment of the principal of the national student loan.

Then, which loan students can enjoy the national student loan interest-free and principal deferred repayment policy in 2023? Do loan students need to take the initiative to apply? Yesterday (April 21), at the briefing of the State Council’s policy, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Education introduced the relevant situation.

According to the regulations, the object of interest exemption and deferred repayment of principal this time refers to the loan students who graduated in 2023 and previous years and should repay the principal or interest in 2023. Exempted interest refers to the national student loan interest that the loan student should pay personally in 2023, including the penalty interest generated by overdue loans in previous years in 2023. The principal that can be applied for deferred repayment refers to the principal of the national student loan that the loan student should repay in 2023.

　　　　　　 Guo Peng, Director of Finance Department of Ministry of Education:Regarding the implementation mode, this time, interest is exempted, and students do not need to apply for loans, which are directly handled by the undertaking bank. For loan students who are in the principal repayment period, if they need to postpone the repayment of principal, I can apply and go through the relevant procedures according to the requirements of the undertaking bank; If I fail to submit the application, I will repay the loan principal according to the original contract by default. Students who need loans are also reminded to pay attention to the relevant notices and announcements in time to avoid missing them.

National student loan policy can be consulted by telephone.

How can the loan students enjoy the policy dividend as soon as possible? The relevant person in charge pointed out that for the national student loan policy and specific business handling issues, the loan students can call the consultation hotline set up by the National Student Financial Assistance Management Center and relevant undertaking banks. The telephone number of the National Student Financial Assistance Management Center is 010— 66097980、66096590。