Leaks coming out of China claim that Xiaomi is also in the midst of developing its own electric car, a possible alternative to the Apple Car.
The company is ready to enter another market. Technology companies are getting into car manufacturing, thanks in large part to the success of Tesla and its electric cars; Elon Musk‘s brand has shown that it is possible to apply the philosophy of Silicon Valley to cars and break the market.
It is the reason why, years after abandoning it, Apple has restarted the development of the Apple Car, a car packed with cutting-edge technology that could be developed in collaboration with an established manufacturer.
Xiaomi’s electric car is in development
For Xiaomi, the inspiration from Tesla is more direct. Its CEO and co-founder, Lei Jun, traveled twice to the U.S. in 2013 to meet with Elon Musk himself. No partnership came out of those talks, but since then, Jun has reportedly been planning to get into the sector.
The other piece of the puzzle is electric cars, which, especially in China, are proving very successful. The need to use complicated algorithms for battery management and autonomous functions has opened the door to many tech companies, and Xiaomi would like to be involved.
Let’s remember that in China, Xiaomi is a giant that sells all kinds of products for home technologies. Extending its presence into the automotive market would not be as strange as it seems, and in 2019, the company invested in Xiaopeng, the manufacturer of one of China’s toughest Tesla rivals.
The Chinese company will have in-house development to compete with Apple Car
While there aren’t many details about the project, it’s striking that Xiaomi doesn’t want to collaborate with a carmaker like Apple; instead, it would be developing a new car from scratch.
This is seen as a “strategic decision” within the company, driven by Lei Jun himself. However, sources also caution that nothing is finalized yet and there are too many variables to take into account.
In fact, this would not be the first occasion in which Xiaomi is considering something similar. Sources reveal that in 2015 Lei Jun contacted members of the automotive industry to launch a car under his brand, but that the reaction was not positive and the project did not go ahead. Let’s see if Xiaomi’s project can compete with Apple Car.
