Xiaomi Motor booth was placed in Hall W2 at the Beijing Auto Show, between Buick and Geely. It was far from being the largest in the hall but gathered the largest crowd.
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The consumer electronic giant brought its first electric vehicle, the SU7 electric sedan, to the show. The car launched a month ago on March 28, has gathered over 70,000 locked-in orders (meaning deposits of about 800 USD can’t be returned) and sold out for the rest of the year. During April, Xiaomi delivered about 5,000 cars called Founders Edition. These models were mass-produced before the launch in February and March, and each has its unique number.
On the opening day of Auto China 2024, the new official name of the Beijing Auto Show, the Xiaomi press conference gathered the most crowds of all automakers. Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun was welcomed by applause and shouting wherever he went as he was meeting other automaker CEOs, such as BYD’s Wang Chuanfu or Nio’s William Li.
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Even during the press days, people queued for about 40 minutes to access the booth, see the car closer, and sit in it. When the doors opened to the general public on Saturday, the queues got longer, with people waiting about two hours to get inside the booth.
“SU7 is the most popular car in China right now. It has a really good promotion, but I want to see by myself if it is so good,” said one of the visitors to CarNewsChina, who had been waiting for about 1.5 hours to get inside the booth and worked as a UX designer in Beijing.
“I’m interested in the quality of autonomous driving. The design is similar to the Porsche Taycan, but it doesn’t really matter to me; it is their first car. The most important for me is the car’s intelligence,” the young man standing next joins the conversation. “The (Xiaomi) SU7 has a good price. I am considering buying it or the Huawei M7 (refers to Huawei’s brand Aito and its SUV Aito M7),” he replies when asked if the SU7 will be his next car.
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Zhang Yijing, a 24-year-old computer software engineer, has no driving license but patiently waited in the queue on SU7 for about two hours. “I use all the products from Xiaomi – phone, air conditioner, wash machine,… It is not so expensive, and quality is fair enough,” Yijing says. “I have money to buy the car, but I can’t afford a place where to park it. Maybe in five years, when I can afford a flat with a parking lot. When I have conditions to have it, I will have it,” he replies when asked about the SU7 purchase.
Xiaomi SU7 sedan starts at 215,900 yuan (30,400 USD) in China. It offers 220 kW – 495 kW (299 – 673 horsepower) of motor power and up to 800 km CLTC range thanks to the 101 kWh NMC Qilin battery from CATL. The entry-level version with 73.6 kWh BYD’s LFP Blade battery is also available. The important selling point for Chinese consumers is Xiaomi’s connectivity and intelligence. The car is deeply embedded into Xiaomi’s ecosystem, natively paired with smartphones, tablets, and also Xiaomi home appliances. For example, you can open curtains in your living room or start a washing machine in your car.
