Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone and consumer electronics giant, has denied the rumors circulating on Weibo, the popular Chinese social network, regarding the start date of deliveries of its electric cars and investment in its Beijing factory.
Xiaomi denies the news on the start date of deliveries of its electric cars
According to these rumors, the cars of Xiaomi would have been ready to be delivered in June, at the Beijing Auto Show, and the total investment in the Beijing factory would be 5,4 billion yuan, with a forecast of reaching 10-12 billion yuan when the first car is launched.
Xiaomi stated that this information is “purely invented and completely false” and reiterated that the official release and delivery time of its electric cars is subject to the company's official information.
Xiaomi announced its entry into the electric car sector in March, with a plan to invest $10 billion over ten years. The company has created a dedicated automotive division, led by its founder and CEO Lei Jun, and has hired diverse talent from other automakers, such as Tesla, Nio, Geely and BYD.
Xiaomi's first electric car model is the SU7, a C-class sedan with high performance and eco-friendly technology, with the lowest drag coefficient in the world, Cd 0,195. The SU7 has a length of 4997 mm, a wheelbase of 3000 mm, a width of 1963 mm and a height of 1440 mm, presenting the “golden ratio” of wheel-to-axle ratio, wheel-to-height ratio and aspect ratio.
The SU7 will be davailable in three colors: “Bay Blue”, which reproduces the shades of sea water, “Elegance Grey”, which is inspired by the gray rock formations of the Yadan landform, and “Olive Green”, which expresses the implicit beauty of nature.
Xiaomi has not yet revealed the launch date of the SU7, but has confirmed that it will be in early 2024. The company has also announced that it will produce three more models by 2027, for a total of almost one million cars in just a few years.
Xiaomi will rely on external partners for the production of its electric cars, such as Great Wall or Xpeng, but it also plans to buy a factory in Beijing, belonging to Borgward, and build a new one in Hannan, Wuhan.
Xiaomi aims to stand out in the electric car market with its expertise in consumer electronics, wireless connectivity and autonomous driving. The company has in fact invested 77 million dollars in the acquisition of the startup Deepmotion, specialized in artificial intelligence applied to the automotive sector.
Xiaomi has rumors about the existence of a SU5 model were also denied, which would have been a hybrid version of the SU7. The company said it is only focused on the SU7 at the moment, but did not rule out the possibility of developing hybrid cars in the future.
Xiaomi invited its fans to follow its WeChat account to get the latest news on its electric cars and stressed that there are still no showrooms or service centers officially open to the public, although some users have spotted a car on display at the Shanghai delivery center.
