The top five reasons why Xiaomi’s electric car could sweep Europe as much as its cell phones

A few months ago Xiaomi presented one of the most important products in its history, the Xiaomi SU7. What is the brand’s first vehicle has already been marketed in China and has been a real success, far exceeding sales expectations in its country of origin. We were able to see it up close at MWC, although it has not yet been tested in Europe.

But that could change very soon. At a press conference, Borja Gómez Carrillo, National Director of Xiaomi Iberia, indicates that In a few months, a highly anticipated new category of products would arrive in Europe. Although he hasn’t officially confirmed that this is the car, everything points to that. Likewise, last week, Xiaomi Western Europe Marketing Manager Jia Wei spoke at the IV Spanish Economic Forum Wake Up, Europe! that “Europe will be one of the first countries to receive our SU7 electric car”.

The success of the Xiaomi SU7 was such that defeated adversaries like Tesla, which began to lower prices In certain regions. There is even speculation that the cancellation or delay of the upcoming low-cost Tesla is due to excessive competition from Chinese brands. Europe is one of the countries in the European Union with the slowest adoption of electric cars, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. And the more time passes, the more time Chinese brands will have to arrive in our country. And it’s a very open market for products from this part of the world.

The weight of the brand

The first thing that is necessary for a product to succeed in a region is obviously its availability. However, Xiaomi enjoyed success in Europe even before its official arrival in 2017. That is to say, it is a very well-known brand, which began by focusing solely on value for money, but which little by little evolved towards a company where quality is a priority. And it seems that this is going well, because currently Xiaomi is the company that sells the most mobile phones in our market.

The Xiaomi SU7 is a highly anticipated car, as confirmed by Jia Wei to EL ESPAÑOL, which also fits with the company’s ambition and strategy of using Europe as a testing ground for the rest from Europe. “For all products, Europe serves as a testing ground for other markets,” the directive explains to the newspaper. What there are no precise dates or prices for this model yetbut those responsible for the brand in Europe have already suggested that this first car It could be sold in Europe before the end of the year.

The positive point is the price observed in China, well below what was expected. Furthermore, This car is designed to comply with European regulations, so it would not need to be redesigned, which sometimes has to be done with some models when sold in European markets and causes their price to skyrocket. The negative point is the possible customs duties that the EU will impose in the months or years to come on vehicles coming from outside our territory.

The importance of price

Even taking this into account, The Xiaomi SU7 is a vehicle that rivals the Tesla Model 3 in price, which has sold a lot in Europe in recent months. On paper, Xiaomi’s car has better features, at a lower cost. This is something similar to what happens with their mobile phones, if we compare them to those of Apple. In fact, the strategy of Honest price from Xiaomi was one of the reasons the company was so successful, and they could replicate it in cars.

And Europe is a country in which the price of the products matters a lot. Xiaomi knows this, and this makes it the ideal entry into Europe to explore how to penetrate other countries that are perhaps richer but also more reluctant towards Chinese cars, such as Germany or Denmark.

Ecosystem integration

Another point in favor of this vehicle compared to its competitors is the integration it has with the current ecosystem of Xiaomi products. The company announced HyperOS as a new operating system for mobile phones and tablets, but also for other products. In fact, the SU7 has this same operating system, adapted to the needs of a vehicle, as is logical.

This allows you to control the car from home, using your mobile phone or tablet as if it were a remote control. In China it is also possible to use Xiaomi’s voice assistant, but it is not yet clear whether this will reach Europe with Alexa or Google’s assistant. In Europe, many users already have a Xiaomi cell phone, which would make it easier to control certain aspects of the car.

At the moment there is no definitive date for the arrival of this car in our country, and we may even have to wait a few years given that even if Xiaomi expands its production, the demand in China is much higher than expected, which could delay. its internationalization. With all, Xiaomi is not interested in delaying this part of its strategy too muchbecause other competitors could establish themselves in the European and Asia-Pacific markets and make their establishment difficult.

Autonomy and recharging

Another advantage of this car over other brands is its charging speed and range. Although the Chinese approval cycle is much more lax than the European cycle, The Xiaomi SU7 allows longer trips than many modelswhich, in a country like ours, with an improvable public infrastructure, is an asset in its favor.

The Xiaomi SU7 may be an industry game-changer for five main reasons

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It’s also very fast charging, have 800 V technology in some models. Not all SU7s have this architecture. This would reduce waits at charging stations, downtime along the way and other inconveniences.

The future SUV, key

We must not lose sight of the fact that the Xiaomi SU7 is a sedan. That is to say, it is a discreet car, like those that were mostly sold until a few years ago. Since then, the most sought-after profile is the SUVa larger, taller type of car that allows for a more comfortable driving position.

Xiaomi does not yet have such a product, but a second vehicle matching this shape is rumored to be in development. This car, not too large in size, could be perfect for a country like ours, where this type of interior is valued.