The very first Xiaomi car prototype is coming next month, it seems
The car in question is designed by HVST Automobile Design, who also created the Maven concept car from WM Motor. Now, once this prototype becomes official, it will proceed for further testing. Now, do note that this is just a prototype, as Xiaomi’s cars are still some time off. The company’s commercial cars, that is. Don’t expect the company to come up with a car you can buy next year or something like that. The Xiaomi Auto manufacturing plans and R&D center will be built in Yizhuang, it has been reported. The first cars, commercial cars, are expected to be created there at some point in 2024. That’s when we actually may be able to get our hands on them. Those cars may be exclusive to China, though, at least at first, we’ll see.
Xiaomi’s Yizhuang factory will manufacture 300,000 cars per year once it’s fully running
Another thing worth noting is that the aforementioned factory is expected to produce 300,000 cars per year, once it’s fully running. The initial phase will be limited to 150,000 cars per year, though. Xiaomi’s R&D team includes more than 1,000 employees at the moment, and it’s growing constantly. It’s also worth saying that Xiaomi plans to launch 4 different models of cars, in A+ and B segments. What’s the difference? Well, the A+ segment aims at a price between RMB150,000 and 200,000 ($22,200-$29,600), and it will support L2 autonomous driving. The other segment, the B segment, is for cars that will cost between RMB200,000 and 300,000 ($29,600-$44,400). B segment cars will support L3 autonomous driving. It will surely be interesting to see what Xiaomi has to offer in this regard. Electric cars are becoming more and more popular, so it’s no wonder Xiaomi is looking to take a piece of that pie. The more companies invest into electric cars, the better is for the industry.
