Lei Jun Says He'd Build Cars Again — And Xiaomi's Numbers Back Him Up

Monday, 16 March 2026 at 08:55

Five years ago, Lei Jun made a bet that plenty of people thought was reckless. A smartphone company building cars from scratch, in one of the most competitive EV markets on the planet. Asked recently whether he'd make the same call again knowing what he knows now, his answer was immediate.

Yes. Without hesitation.

Key Points

Lei Jun confirmed he would enter car manufacturing again, describing the process as hard but the success as genuinely worth it
Xiaomi hit 500,000 EVs produced — a record pace for a new energy vehicle manufacturer of its age
The SU7 Ultra holds the Nürburgring record for fastest four-door car and has been added to GT Racing 7
The YU7 secured 200,000 firm orders in three minutes, one of the fastest order windows in EV history
Xiaomi Vision GT appeared at MWC, signaling the company's broader automotive and technology ambitions

The Numbers Are Hard to Argue With

Xiaomi reached 500,000 units off the production line — a milestone that took established manufacturers years longer to hit. That's not marketing spin, that's a production record for a brand that didn't exist in the automotive space half a decade ago.

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The SU7 Ultra is now the fastest four-door car in Nürburgring history. It's also been invited into GT Racing 7, which sounds like a footnote but actually matters for brand recognition among younger buyers globally. And the YU7 pulled 200,000 firm orders in three minutes, which is the kind of demand figure that makes traditional automakers genuinely uncomfortable.

Cool Is Doing a Lot of Work Here

Lei Jun echoed a sentiment from a user online — that building cars is brutally difficult, but pulling it off is undeniably cool. It's an honest framing, actually. Xiaomi didn't enter automotive because it was easy or obvious. They entered because Lei Jun apparently decided that difficulty wasn't a good enough reason to stay out.

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The Xiaomi Vision GT showed up at MWC recently too, which suggests the company isn't done expanding what "Xiaomi automotive" actually means as a category.

Next-generation SU7 anticipation is already building. Given what the current generation accomplished, that's not surprising at all.