Xiaomi Starts Selling Electric Cars, Prices Start At Rp223 Million

Illustration of Xiaomi electric car to be launched in the next three years (Xiaomi Planet)

JAKARTA – The popularity of electric cars is increasing. A number of tech giants are racing to develop electric cars like Apple, and now Xiaomi doesn't want to miss out. Lei Jun as CEO of Xiaomi said that it is likely to launch an electric car of sedan or SUV type.

However Xiaomi will not be launching its electric car anytime soon. The company, known for its smartphone products, plans to launch its electric cars in the next three years.

The electric car is planned to be sold for 100,000 yuan or the equivalent of Rp 223 million. As for the most expensive variant electric car will be priced at 300,000 yuan (equivalent to Rp 699 million).

Lei Jun revealed the plan in celebration of Xiaomi's 11th anniversary. The event was organized online through the Douyin platform.

"Xiaomi's first electric car is not a sports car or motorhome, it's a sedan or SUV," Lei said as the poll was conducted on Weibo. The poll showed 45 percent of users guessed the sedan and another 40 percent chose an SUV.

This Chinese mobile phone company has announced that it is participating in the electric car competition arena. To realize this ambition Xiaomi invested 10 billion US dollars (equivalent to Rp 146 trillion) to work in the electric car business.

Lei Jun called his electric car business the "last major entrepreneurial project" of his life. Reportedly Lei will also be the CEO of a subsidiary focused on the development of electric cars.

Of all respondents, as many as two-thirds revealed that they were willing to spend 100,000 yuan and 300,000 yuan to buy Xiaomi electric cars.

"Our xiaomi fans can produce medium to high range vehicles," said the Xiaomi boss.

Nevertheless, the procurement plan of a number of technical matters such as car manufacturing, batteries, design, and recruitment is still in its early stages. He also said no decision had yet been made on a specific market share.

With such a plan, most Xiaomi employees welcome. Lei also said that some developers have already applied for new car manufacturers.

Previously, Xiaomi reportedly recruited as many as 5,000 engineers by 2021. Later, Xiaomi's electric cars will compete with other Chinese electric cars such as NIO, Li Auto, and Xpeng. In addition, Xiaomi's electric cars will also compete with the popular US electric car manufacturer Tesla.