Just a few days after Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi launched its first electric vehicle, buyers have been informed that they may have to wait up to six months to receive their car.
The BBC reports that screenshots posted on Chinese social media show the company informing buyers that delivery of the SU7 Max could take 27 weeks.
Previously, the company had reported that 88,898 pre-orders had been placed within 24 hours after the start of order reception on Thursday. By the way, can you afford to buy the car?
The Xiaomi SU7 VS Tesla Model 3
The tech giant, which is the third largest seller of smartphones in the world with a market share of around 12%, is facing competition from electric vehicle rivals such as Tesla and BYD in the world’s largest automobile market.
The standard SU7 model costs 215,900 yuan (26,000 euros) and the Max version costs 299,900 yuan. Meanwhile, the starting price in China for the Tesla Model 3 is 245,900 yuan.
The SU7, which has sparked comparisons with Porsche’s Taycan and Panamera models, has a minimum range of 700 km, surpassing the 567 km of the Tesla Model 3.
As part of their campaign to promote the SU7, Xiaomi also launched special versions of the car called Founder’s Edition, which come with free gifts, such as refrigerators.
On Sunday, the CEO of the tech giant, Lei Jun, said in a Weibo post that he would open a second round of sales for the Founder’s Edition.
The company expects that the shared operating system of the SU7 with its phones, laptops, and other devices will attract current customers.
Xiaomi’s electric vehicles are manufactured by a unit of the state-owned automaker BAIC Group in a Beijing plant that can produce up to 200,000 vehicles per year.
Xiaomi has announced that it will invest $10 billion (€7.9 billion) in its vehicle business over the next 10 years.
