As the hype around Xiaomi’s electric vehicles builds both in China and globally, CEO Lei Jun has made it clear that international customers will have to wait. In a recent livestream presentation, Lei confirmed that Xiaomi will not be selling its electric vehicles outside of China until at least 2027. For now, the tech giant is focused on addressing soaring demand in its home market.
Why the Delay?
The newly launched YU7 electric SUV has been a massive hit in China, with over 200,000 pre-bookings recorded within just three minutes of launch. Within 18 hours, the company locked in over 240,000 confirmed orders with significant downpayments. But with demand comes pressure—wait times for the YU7 are already stretching up to a year.
Xiaomi simply isn’t ready to meet global demand. According to Lei Jun, the company’s priority is to scale up domestic deliveries before even thinking about international expansion.
Production Challenges Continue
This isn’t the first time Xiaomi has struggled to keep up with its own momentum. Its first EV, the SU7 sedan, launched in 2024, continues to face production bottlenecks, with wait times of up to eight months for certain trims. Despite increasing manufacturing capacity with a new plant near Beijing, supply still lags behind demand.
Xiaomi has already completed Phase 2 of its factory expansion, and operations at the new plant are expected to begin within a month. The company has also purchased land for a third phase of expansion to further ramp up production. Active hiring is underway for manufacturing and logistics roles to help meet the aggressive delivery targets.
Also Read: Land Rover Defender Octa Black Edition Unveiled: India Launch Expected Soon?
The Road Ahead: 350,000 Cars in 2025
Xiaomi recently raised its 2025 production goal to 350,000 cars, up from the earlier target of 300,000. In June alone, the company delivered 28,000 units—marking the eighth straight month of over 20,000 deliveries.
The YU7 SUV, which is being positioned as a direct competitor to the Tesla Model Y, is expected to play a crucial role in Xiaomi’s automotive strategy. With the SUV trend continuing strong in China, Xiaomi seems confident that focusing on its home market is the best move—for now.
What About Global Markets?
Although Xiaomi hasn’t officially announced any international rollout plans, Europe is expected to be high on the list when the time comes. The SU7 sedan made an appearance at MWC 2024 in Barcelona, sparking global interest. Still, Lei Jun insists there’s “no rush” to go global until Xiaomi can ensure production stability and customer satisfaction at home.
So, for EV enthusiasts outside China, the wait for Xiaomi’s sleek, tech-loaded electric vehicles might continue until 2027 or beyond.