The times to obtain a Xiaomi SU7 have lengthened and reach 6 to 8 months for an electric vehicle. Faced with customers who were a little too impatient, the boss of Xiaomi replied that they could always look at the competition.
The Xiaomi SU7 is a victim of its success. You will have to wait several months before you can obtain one in China. In a message left on the Chinese social network Weibo on April 22, taken up by IThome, the boss of Xiaomi did not hesitate to push impatient customers to buy a car from certain competitors. The process can be confusing.
Lei Jun, the boss of Xiaomi, is definitely not doing anything like the others when it comes to the production of electric cars. It is also reminiscent of the enthusiasm of Elon Musk when he started out in the automobile industry. However, the context is no longer really the same, and Lei Jun is faced with particularly fierce Chinese competition on the local market. He is all the more aware of this as he is regularly in contact with several Chinese bosses in this sector: Nio, Xpeng, Great Wall, etc.
Buy from competitors? Yes, but only some
Lei Jun’s statement on the Chinese social network Weibo is surprising: “ If you are really in a hurry to buy a car. Domestic new energy vehicles (NEV) are good, for example Luxeed S7, Nio ET5, Xpeng P7. You can also consider purchasing them. »
The bosses of Nio and Xpeng, who both attended the launch of the Xiaomi SU7, will certainly be happy to see that Xiaomi recommends purchasing one of their models. The Xiaomi launch was a hard blow for the two startups, who had to review their pricing policy to try to align with Xiaomi in China, or risk seeing customers quickly disappear.
Luxeed is surely the least familiar name on the list for Europeans. Behind this brand is a partnership between Huawei and Chery. Huawei is Xiaomi’s competitor in many areas of activity, including automobiles. This does not prevent the boss of Xiaomi from recommending the Luxeed S7 for its qualities. The sedan launched in 2023 has already just been renewed to incorporate improvements.
Luxeed understood that Xiaomi’s impatient customers were a good breeding ground. A commercial operation – not necessarily very fair play – was even set up with a discount for the purchase of a Luxeed S7. If the customer abandons their purchase order for an SU7, Luxeed offers a discount equivalent to the sum of the deposit left by customers with Xiaomi.
70,000 firm orders already recorded by Xiaomi
Xiaomi has increased its production capacities and validated with suppliers that they will be able to follow the set objectives. The company’s goal is to reach 100,000 units by 2024. The ramp-up should be particularly impressive for this factory.
According to the media CNevpost, On April 23, Lei Jun confirmed with investors that 70,000 firm orders were recorded by Xiaomi. At the beginning of April, the brand reported nearly 100,000 orders received, but only 40,000 closed. This is still evolving very quickly.
At the Beijing Motor Show, the company committed to providing more information on the development of its production capacity and its delivery plan for the Xiaomi SU7. It cannot be ruled out that customers will ultimately have shorter delivery times than those estimated at the time of ordering.
Chinese customers who wish to purchase a Xiaomi SU7 are informed that delivery should take between 28 and 35 weeks, depending on the version chosen. The SU7 Max version, the most powerful, is apparently particularly popular, because it displays the longest delays. It is necessary to clarify that in China, delays of this kind are unusual, while in Europe, they are unfortunately all too common.
The boss of Xiaomi communicates without filter, which is reminiscent of a certain Elon Musk. This is a new player in electric mobility to watch carefully, subscribe to our free Watt Else newsletter so you don’t miss anything on this subject.
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