For the first time, Xiaomi commented on its EV overseas sales timeline. The company’s president, William Lu, said they aim to sell cars on global markets by 2027. Lu also hinted that he will begin scouting European automotive markets in March.

William Lu announced the timeline during an interview with a Chinese outlet, Jiemian, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Spain, where the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra debuted outside China.

Xiaomi announced it was joining the car-making race about four years ago, in March 2021. Three years later, in March 2024, it launched its first car – the Xiaomi SU7 all-electric sedan starting at 215,900 yuan (29,700 USD).

The entry-level version was equipped with a 73.6 kWh battery from BYD, good for a 700 km range under CLTC conditions and a 220 kW (295 hp) e-motor mounted on a rear axle.

The top trim level had a 101 kWh battery from CATL, good for an 800 km CLTC range, and dual motors with a combined power of 495 kW (664 hp) and 838 Nm peak torque. Within 24 hours of its launch, the SU7 was sold out for 2024.

William Lu says that during the three years following its announcement to join the EV-making bandwagon, the company faced lots of scepticism from investors.

“After each earnings conference, we communicated with investors, and everyone tended to think that Xiaomi was late and missed the best opportunity. And that the car business can drag down the mobile phone business if unsuccessful,” Lu said.

However, everything changed after the SU7 was launched in March. Lu says that after winning those two battles (referring to the launch of the SU7 and Su7 Ultra), they laid solid foundations for their car-making arm.

“Our main plan is to create a strong position in the Chinese market, as without it, it would be hard to expand overseas,” says Lu, indicating that the domestic market is the current priority.

Xiaomi Su7 Ultra is a performance version of the SU7 sedan, launched on February 27 in China. It has 1,527 hp and costs 529,900 yuan (72,700 USD). SU7 Ultra sold 10,000 units within two hours of launch, reaching its annual target. On Sunday, the company announced that orders reached 19,000 units.

Here is the transcription of a main part of the interview:

Jiemian: At the press conference, you mentioned some information about Xiaomi Auto’s overseas expansion. Do you have a timetable for its overseas launch and sales?

William Lu: We started selling cars in March last year, but I think Xiaomi Auto was accompanied by more doubts in the three years before.

After each earnings conference, we communicated with investors, and everyone tended to think that Xiaomi was late, missed the best opportunity, etc. And if the car business is difficult, the mobile phone business will also be greatly dragged down. This is the particularly great pressure we have faced in the capital market in the past few years.

But I think the market has greatly changed after the launch in March last year. From SU7 to SU7 Ultra, we have laid a very good foundation in these two battles and dispelled everyone’s doubts about Xiaomi’s late entry into the car manufacturing market, so I think the automotive business has gained a foothold in the Chinese market.

As for when to go overseas, our overall strategy is to do well in China now because if a Chinese car company does not have a very good position in its home market, it will be difficult to do business overseas.

After MWC, I will visit several European countries to investigate the market and see our global overseas data. I have a goal: I hope we can officially go overseas in 2027.