It’s true that Xiaomi’s goal is to have, at least, one product in every sector. After conquering the pockets and homes of half the world, the company’s new release aims to reach the garages and roads of as many countries as possible.
Xiaomi has just announced its plans to enter the oversaturated Chinese market for electric vehicles and compete with automotive giants Tesla and Porsche with a car model in which it claims to have invested over 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in development.
The company’s car model, known as Xiaomi SU7, “is in the testing production phase and will be available in the national market in a few months,” said CEO Lei Jun in a Twitter post. “The price has not been finalized yet.”
A car that looks too much like the Porsche Taycan
Pronounced “Sue Qi” in Mandarin, the Xiaomi SU7 surpasses Porsche’s Taycan and Tesla’s Model S in acceleration and other metrics, Lei said during a three-hour presentation on Thursday.
He also expressed bold ambitions to become a leader in the industry, including in autonomous driving, and pointed out that the design team of the SU7 previously worked at BMW and Mercedes Benz.
The start of sales is scheduled for 2024, after more than three years of development, during which electric vehicles have taken off in the competitive Chinese market and domestic manufacturers have begun to differentiate their products with ambitious offers of car-compatible technology.
This is a potential advantage area for Xiaomi, which is best known for its smartphones and appliances. Xiaomi’s goal is to create a smart ecosystem: “Human x Car x Home”.
The SU7 will integrate with Xiaomi’s smartphones and Internet-connected appliances, the CEO assured. And he emphasized the company’s efforts to ensure data privacy between devices and create a car that exceeds US rear-end collision safety standards.
She said that the vehicle will also be compatible with Apple’s iPhone, iPad, CarPlay, and AirPlay. The American giant, which has been speculated about a car for five years now, still hasn’t taken the plunge.
