Everything points to Xiaomi’s first electric car arriving sooner rather than later. Its launch is scheduled for 2021.
That Xiaomi was going to enter the automotive sector was clear. The question was when it would happen. And according to Reuters, the truth is that we would not have to wait too long to see what will be Xiaomi’s first electric car.
This is not the first time that the Beijing firm has been linked to the idea of building electric vehicles. Some time ago it collaborated with Bestune to integrate MIUI in the infotainment system of one of its cars. But now, the company’s idea is to go further, using one of the Great Wall’s manufacturing plants to build its own electric vehicle.
Xiaomi’s electric car would arrive within two years
Several sources close to the company’s plans have reportedly stated that Xiaomi is negotiating with automotive firm Great Wall Motors, to take advantage of that company’s facilities to proceed with the development and manufacture of an electric car, which will subsequently be launched under the Xiaomi brand. This would be the first time that Great Wall offers its services to external companies to proceed with the development of its vehicles.
Other firms, such as Huawei or Apple also seem to be working on their vehicles, although each company’s strategy would be somewhat different from Xiaomi’s.
Xiaomi aims to build an electric vehicle that would benefit from the brand’s expertise in hardware development, which would help speed up the design and production process. To do so, it will also rely on the infrastructure of a specialized automotive firm with a successful track record and a level of maturity on par with Great Wall Motors.
Of course, the software will be an essential part of Xiaomi’s future electric car, as its experience in developing operating systems for smartphones and other smart devices will help speed up the software development process for this vehicle.
Sources point out that the brand aims to launch its first electric car in 2023, as long as the agreement with Great Wall Motos is on track, and no problems occur during the development and production phases.
