Xiaomi Aims to Be a Global Top-5 Carmaker in 15-20 Years: CEO Lei Jun

While Xiaomi will be focusing on the domestic China market in the immediate future with its first-ever electric car, the newly launched SU7 EV, the company has much bigger ambitions for the longer term. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun stated that his ambition is to become one of the top five global carmakers in 15-20 years, which means selling more than 10 million vehicles annually by the year 2044. Eventually, the goal is “to have Xiaomi vehicles driving on every street in the world”. The comments come via Xiaomi’s official Weibo profile, as spotted by CNEVpost.com.

Lei Jun previously stated that Xiaomi is entering the EV market with an aim to win, in an interview with Chinese channel CCTV in December 2023. Although Xiaomi will be a new entrant in the EV market, it will be using already-proven technology and making huge investments to drive innovation. The company has spent over RMB 10 billion (approximately Rs. 11,159 crore) and assigned 3,400 engineers to the project.  

In other details revealed on the company’s Chinese-language social network page, Xiaomi confirmed that it is not currently exploring a lower-cost Redmi EV lineup, and will focus on its premium brand in this space for now. Also, Lei Jun is reported to now be dedicating half his time to the company’s EV business, with the other half split evenly between smartphone research and Xiaomi Group management. 

Xiaomi has also published an article titled “Designers Have Something to Say” on its Weibo page in the runup to the car’s launch. The article touches upon wind resistance as an element of design, how the car’s body shape was inspired by a water droplet in zero gravity, the choices of colours, and how light reflecting off the body has been factored into the design process. “We hope that in another 100 years, when you look back at SU7, you will still be able to feel its unique beauty”, the article states (machine translated from Chinese).

The SU7 was unveiled at a technology launch event on December 28, 2023. Details of its price have not been discussed, and will likely only be announced at the vehicle’s launch in the first half of this year. The company has so far dismissed all speculation about pricing.

Two variants were announced, the rear-wheel drive SU7 and the dual-motor all-wheel drive SU7 Max. The former has a 73.6kWh battery, while the latter has a 101kWh battery. The SU7 Max has a top speed of 265kmph, and can accelerate from 0-100kmph in 2.78 seconds. Additional variants, including a potential SU7 Pro, have been reported previously.

Xiaomi says it has pioneered a cell-to-body manufacturing process which improves structural rigidity and allows for a more spacious interior cabin. The company is leveraging Nvidia’s Orin-X platform for its Xiaomi Pilot ADAS system, while a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 SoC powers the infotainment system, which runs Xiaomi’s HyperOS UI. The SU7 will have a 16.1-inch 3K resolution central screen plus individual rear passenger screens, an HUD for the driver.