The first glimpse of the much-expected electric car from the tech major Xiaomi is not very far off. According to Chinese media reports, the prototype of the EV is all set to be unveiled by Xiaomi's CEO Lei Jun at a public function slated for next month (August).
The website Sina Tech in a report, quoting top sources in Xiaomi, said that the unveiling of the prototype would be followed by a series of tests with it. In all likelihood, Xiaomi's putative EV would go into mass production by 2024.
It further said that Xiaomi Auto has hired a team from Shanghai HVST Automobile Design, which is also behind the design and engineering of the WM Motor concept model Maven.
Apparently Lei Jun is personally putting in the hard yards in Xiaomi's car project. He is said to be spending close two-thirds of his time with Xiaomi Auto team whenever he is in Xiaomi Technology Park (near Beijing).
Xiaomi EV plans: The story so far
The Chinese tech company, primarily known for its budget smartphones had gone official with its electric vehicle venture last September. Lei Jun had made it clear then itself that he would directly be in charge of the new venture into which Xiaomi pumped in $1.5 billion at the outset.
Xiaomi, which is building a large plant in Beijing capable of making 300,000-vehicles a year, is said to be working on four electric car models --- two in the middle-range and two in the high-end segments.
Xiaomi's EV plant is being readied at an investment of $10 billion over 10 years. Initially, the plant will have the capacity for 150,000 EVs, and then soon it will double to 30,000 EVs per year.
Earlier Chinese media reports also had it that Xiaomi is among two companies to invest in a Chinese battery firm. The investments, worth around $780 million was made in the Beijing Weilan New Energy Ltd., a company that is focusing on the next generation of all solid state batteries.
Recently, a picture of an autonomous driving vehicle, sporting the sticker of Xiaomi, had emerged. The pic showed a blue sedan that has a LiDAR system on the roof and stickers on the side that says 'Xiaomi Autonomous Driving Test' in Chinese and 'Xiaomi Pilot Test' in English. It is believed that Xiaomi has bought 200 BYD Han vehicles for collecting self-driving data.
- Amazon Prime Day 2022: Full details of all deals and offers
