Xiaomi, renowned for its innovative smart consumer electronics, is venturing into China’s thriving yet competitive electric car market.
The tech giant unveiled its latest offering, the Xiaomi SU7, a sleek four-door sedan, during a grand launch event in Beijing. Industry analysts anticipate the price to hover around the 300,000 yuan ($40,000) mark.
Driven by government incentives, China has emerged as the global leader in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, attracting many new players vying for market share.
While domestic sales dominate, Chinese manufacturers are eyeing international expansion, leveraging their competitive advantage in pricing. This expansion presents a potential challenge to established auto giants from Europe, Japan, and the United States.
The Beijing-based company aims to carve its place among the world’s top five automakers within the next 15 to 20 years. “Xiaomi EVs will be a familiar sight on roads around the world,” Lei Jun was quoted as saying in a company news release.
Xiaomi, founded in 2010, is entering an overcrowded market that analysts expect will undergo a shakeout in coming years, with weaker startups falling out of the race.
Fitch Ratings projects a significant surge in the combined market share of electric vehicles and hybrids in China’s automotive sector, expecting it to climb from 42% to 45% this year, up from 36% in 2023.
However, the agency cautioned in a December 2023 report that this heightened competition could potentially strain automakers’ short-term market positions and profitability.
Renowned for its budget-friendly smartphones, smart TVs, and various other gadgets, Xiaomi is strategically leveraging its technology expertise by integrating its cars with its phones and home appliances, forming what it terms a “Human x Car x Home” ecosystem. This innovative approach aims to seamlessly connect Xiaomi’s products across different aspects of consumers’ lives.
Xiaomi’s Seamless Integration Strategy
Tu Le, founder of Sino Auto Insights consultancy, highlighted Xiaomi’s efforts to complete the circle by incorporating transportation into its existing product lineup, which already plays an integral role in its customers’ personal and professional routines.
“The ability to seamlessly be a continuous part of someone’s life is the holy grail for tech companies,” he said in an emailed response. “You probably don’t know anyone in Beijing that doesn’t have at least one Xiaomi product, be it a mobile phone, computer, TV, (air) purifier, or tablet.”
As a rookie to automaking, the company is making an educated guess that it can design and develop a car that will sell, he said.
Given the sluggish Chinese economy and an ongoing EV price war, he predicted it would take a year or two to see if Xiaomi can adapt to correct any missteps and succeed.
“They are a technology company, so that’s their advantage but they need to reconcile that with drinking through a fire hose to learn how to be a tech company that builds cars,” Le said.
According to CreditSights, a financial research firm, Xiaomi’s electric vehicle (EV) division is projected to sell 60,000 vehicles in its inaugural year but is anticipated to incur losses during its initial two years due to substantial marketing and promotional expenses.
Chinese automakers venturing into international markets encounter political challenges.
The EU for instance is investigating Chinese subsidies to determine if they give made-in-China EVs an unfair market advantage overseas. The US announced an investigation last month into Chinese-made connected cars that it says could gather sensitive information about their drivers.
“China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices,” President Joe Biden said when the US investigation was announced.
“China’s policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security. I’m not going to let that happen on my watch,’′ he added.
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