Chinese technology giant Xiaomi says it will commence mass production of its first electric vehicle in the first half of 2024.
The co-founder and chief executive of Xiaomi, Lei Jun, made the revelation last week while speaking at China’s annual parliamentary gathering. He noted that the company invested more than 3 billion yuan ($434.3 million) in its EV venture throughout 2022 and added that he spends half of his time working in Xiaomi’s EV business.
“Xiaomi’s car manufacturing has progressed beyond expectation and has recently successfully completed winter testing,” Lei added while speaking with delegates at the gathering, South China Morning Post reports.
Xiaomi first announced plans to venture into the automotive space in early 2021 but has not yet officially showcased its first EV to the world. However, in January, a series of images leaked online that appear to show the car in full.
Read: Phone Maker Xiaomi’s MS11 EV Leaks, Looks Like A McLaren Sedan
The vehicle is dubbed the MS11 and takes the form of a sleek-looking sedan with a sportback silhouette and plenty of intriguing design details. The front end is particularly noteworthy because of headlights and a bumper design that may remind you of certain McLaren models. The low-resolution photos also revealed that the MS11 rocks a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor and has flush door handles, further adding to the smooth and flowing surfaces that dominate the design.
Images of the MS11’s interior have not been published online.
Of course, the new EV will need to have much more than an attractive design to prove a success. China’s EV market appears to be getting more competitive by the day and the MS11 will need to have impressive specs and technology to compete with its rivals. Current reports suggest that it will use batteries supplied by CATL and BYD while the electric motors will be produced by Xiaomi itself.
