Li Auto Inc.'s CEO, Li Xiang, has called on the Chinese government to facilitate mergers and acquisitions among struggling electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to avoid social losses from company failures. He highlighted the need for industry consolidation, citing the U.S. Big Three auto giants as an example. This comes amid a slow start to the year for China's new-energy vehicle sales, with January shipments to dealers dropping 37% compared to December. The intense competition in China's EV market has led to a significant reduction in the number of manufacturers, from around 500 in 2019 to about 100 last year.