An electric vehicle factory built by China’s largest smartphone maker has become a tourist attraction in Beijing, with visits to the company’s plant needing to be booked a month in advance and entry sometimes decided by lottery at peak times.
Xiaomi’s loyal fans, styled “mi fen”, pack its smart car factory every day to watch the production line churn out a car every 76 seconds. Tour guides proudly compare the manufacturing processes to those of Tesla, as the Chinese company seeks to emulate its American rival’s automated production line and build key EV components in-house.
Although only two models have been launched, the cars rolling off the end of the line are expected to outnumber those sold by Tesla in China next year, according to Citic Securities’ estimates. Its new SUV attracted hundreds of thousands of pre-orders within minutes of its launch in June, while its original sports sedan ranked second in premium car sales in China in the first half, only behind Tesla’s Model Y. The excitement around its cars has helped drive Xiaomi shares almost 200 per cent higher over the past year.