Xiaomi is making a splash at the MWC this year, with their booth filled to the brim since the event’s early opening. It’s a sharp contrast to their neighbor Samsung, who’s booth is relatively bare – a reflection of the quiet event for the Korean tech giant.
After taking a peek at Xiaomi’s new robot dog earlier in the day, we returned to their space this afternoon for a closer look at their latest announcement – an electric vehicle, first teased at CES in January. This new release adds to the growing number of consumer electronics companies venturing into the automotive field, including Sony and Apple, to name a few.
However, while Sony’s Afeela project is a joint effort with Honda – with both companies holding a share in the venture – Xiaomi is going at it alone in terms of branding. But unlike others, their “full-size high-performance eco-technology sedan”, known as the SU7, has a tentative release date set for next year in China.
As Sean wrote in his coverage of the initial news, Xiaomi has the advantage of accessing China’s rapidly expanding EV market. Additionally, they’ve been developing “HyperOS” for several years, a sort of all-encompassing operating system. This year, their MWC focus is “Human x Car x Home”, with the aim of “Redefining Connectivity”.
Xiaomi EV’s first product – the highly anticipated Xiaomi SU7 – is dubbed as a “full-size high-performance eco-technology sedan”. It pushes boundaries in performance, ecosystem integration, and the mobile smart space. Along with the SU7, Xiaomi has developed five core EV technologies: E-Motor, CTB Integrated Battery, Xiaomi Die-Casting, Xiaomi Pilot Autonomous Driving, and Smart Cabin. With over CNY 10 billion RMB invested in R&D and a global team of 3,400 engineers and 1,000 technical experts, Xiaomi has certainly produced an exceptional vehicle.
Aside from these exciting details, the company has kept a tight lid on further specifics about the car. They even declined a request to sit down for an interview, instead opting to limit the information to speeches given by representatives at their booth.
What we do know is that the SU7 is a beautiful car. It was displayed on a rotating platform in Xiaomi’s MWC booth, sporting a stunning blue color, similar to the images revealed during CES.
The technology behind HyperOS is still mostly marketing lingo, but Xiaomi has this to say about it:
Xiaomi’s transition from “Smartphone x AIoT” to the “Human x Car x Home” smart ecosystem merges personal devices, smart home products, and cars seamlessly. This enables smooth connectivity between hardware devices, real-time coordination, and progress in driving advancements. As the foundation of this new ecosystem, HyperOS is designed to adapt to your current and future needs. It seamlessly integrates over 200 product categories, encompassing 600 million devices globally, and covering more than 95% of user scenarios. It’s more than just open-source technology – it’s a system-level innovation that promotes effortless cross-device collaboration and consistency across Xiaomi’s integrated smart-life platform. The company is also working with third-party manufacturers, developers, and partners to fulfill their ambitious promises.
