Xiaomi electric car buyers face six-month wait
By Mariko Oi
Just days after Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi launched its first electric vehicle (EV), buyers have been told they may have to wait up to six months for their car to be delivered.
Screen grabs on Chinese social media show the firm advising buyers it could take 27 weeks to deliver the SU7 Max.
The company previously said pre-orders had hit 88,898 within 24 hours of it starting to take orders on Thursday.
Xiaomi did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.
The technology giant, which is the third-largest seller of smartphones in the world with a market share of about 12%, is taking on EV rivals including Tesla and BYD in the world’s biggest market for cars.
The standard SU7 model is priced at 215,900 yuan ($29,872; £23,663) and the Max version costs 299,900 yuan.
The starting price in China for Tesla’s Model 3 is 245,900 yuan.
The SU7, which has drawn comparisons with Porsche’s Taycan and Panamera models, has a minimum range of 700km (435 miles), beating the Tesla Model 3’s 567km.
