On the evening of April 6th, during the Mi Fan Festival, Lei Jun conducted a live broadcast in the Douyin Xiaomi live room. After an hour of promoting Mi phones and peripheral products, at 9 PM, he finally started to talk about Xiaomi’s entry into the car-making industry.
The media person, Han Lu, asked why Xiaomi originally said they wouldn’t enter the car-making industry, but later changed their mind?
Lei Jun replied that he had originally visited Ma Long in 2013 and had invested in NIO and XPeng Motors. He was interested in electric cars, but at that time he focused more on the mobile phone business. After returning to the mobile phone industry’s top three, Mi fans started calling out, “Xiaomi dares to make, and Mi fans dare to buy”. Therefore, they started conducting research and development. Lei Jun emphasized that the car project will be a wholly-owned subsidiary and they won’t raise funds through PPT, so everyone can feel at ease.
Han Lu asked whether the logo will still be the same after entering the car-making industry?
Lei Jun replied that there are different opinions internally, and it is still under discussion and research.
Han Lu asked if the decision to enter the car-making industry was really made within only 75 days?
Lei Jun replied that although many people within the company are passionate about cars, it was indeed officially approved within 75 days.
Han Lu asked what will happen to Xiaomi’s vehicle hardware foundation after three years of entering the car-making industry, which is the fastest time for product delivery?
Lei Jun replied that he cannot provide specific details about the foundation, but they are determined to make the best use of advanced technology for their car products and not to disappoint people’s expectations.
Han Lu asked for Lei Jun’s opinion on NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto?
Lei Jun replied that they will learn from these three companies and their car-making experience with a serious and open-minded attitude.
Han Lu asked if Xiaomi’s ecosystem is its advantage in car-making?
Lei Jun replied that it is a great advantage. For example, for people who are driving fuel-powered cars, using the air-conditioner may cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Why not use Xiaomi’s new air conditioner instead? For people living in the north with dry air, they can use Xiaomi’s humidifier, and on smoggy days, they can use Xiaomi’s air purifier and other products. Xiaomi’s ecosystem equipment products can be used in cars, making them more convenient and tailored to consumers’ needs. The first generation of Xiaomi cars will be made according to users’ needs and will be simplified accordingly.
Han Lu asked about the specific model of Xiaomi’s first car.
Lei Jun replied that they had an initial result, but it changed after the project was approved. According to a Weibo poll, most people hope that Xiaomi’s first car will not be a sports car or motor home, but rather a sedan or SUV. The price will also take into account the expectations of Xiaomi’s target users, which is around 100,000 to 300,000 yuan.
Han Lu asked about Xiaomi’s recent intelligent custom motorhome project.
Lei Jun did not answer this question.雷军答道，为了满足小米用户需求而进行的改装。可能会根据米粉呼应来做定制房车等车型。
21:27, the topic about Xiaomi’s car ends officially. “Model Worker” Lei Jun starts to promote the new product released a few days ago. In this brief conversation, Lei Jun joked that as an IPO company, he is “required” not to reveal too much detailed information about car manufacturing.
Regarding Lei Jun with his own traffic and “Xiaomi Car”, I believe that before the official debut, Lei Jun will maintain high-profile promotion to achieve the maximum product exposure.
Source: Douyin: Xiaomi Live Room
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.