Xiaomi, a Chinese smartphone maker, has unveiled its first electric vehicle (EV) and plans to become a top five global automaker, intending to build a “dream car” comparable to Porsche AG (ETR:P911) and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA).
“By working hard over the next 15 to 20 years, we will become one of the world's top five automakers, striving to lift China's overall automobile industry," Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said on Thursday at the unveiling in Beijing.
The company's first EV, the SU7 with the SU standing for Speed Ultra, will come in two versions, one with a range of up to 558 kilometres and another with a range of up to 800 kilometres, compared to Tesla’s Model S’s 650-kilometre range.
It beat Porsche’s Taycan and Tesla’s Model S on acceleration and other metrics, the CEO also claimed.
Pricing of the vehicles was not disclosed but it would “indeed be a bit high” but justified, Lei Jun said.
The car is in production and will be available domestically in a few months, according to a post by Lei Jun on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Xiaomi has spent more than three years and 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) developing the SU7.
The company’s U.S.-listed shares traded modestly lower following the unveiling, down 0.2% at US$10.38.