On July 1st Beijing time, according to Nikkei Asia, Xiaomi is preparing to expand its electric vehicle production capacity by deploying 1000 robots in its factories to meet the high demand for its electric vehicles.
Xiaomi's only electric vehicle factory is currently located in Beijing, covering an area of 720000 square meters. The factory also includes a sales store, a delivery center, and a testing track. The factory itself is a rectangular building with six major processes including stamping, die-casting, body manufacturing, spraying, battery assembly, and vehicle assembly inside. During a recent visit to the factory, Nikkei Asia found that robots play a crucial role in all six aspects.
Xiaomi takes great pride in its super large die-casting technology. This is an aluminum alloy die-casting process that can produce large body parts in one go. For example, under traditional manufacturing processes, a large module installed above the rear wheel needs to be welded from 72 components, with up to 840 welding points. In contrast, the die-casting process can produce a large component in one go, reducing production time by nearly half.
Our company and Tesla are currently the only two companies in China that have such giant die-casting machines, "said a Xiaomi factory guide.
At the Xiaomi factory, a car is produced every 76 seconds, with a daily output of approximately 1000 vehicles. Starting from June 2024, the factory has been operating at full capacity, implementing a two shift system with 1000 employees per shift.
Benchmarking Tesla
The second electric vehicle factory next to Xiaomi's first factory is nearing completion, and the company also plans to build a third factory on the east side of the factory.
Since the release of the first electric vehicle SU7 in March 2024, Xiaomi's car sales have rapidly increased. This model has a sporty appearance and can seamlessly connect with Xiaomi phones.
The Xiaomi SU7 is benchmarked against the Tesla Model 3 sedan. The price of Xiaomi SU7 is 215900 yuan, while the starting price of Model 3 in China is 235500 yuan. According to data from DCD, the SU7 has sold a total of 256000 units in the past year, while the Model 3 has sold approximately 200000 units.
Xiaomi takes down an electric car every 76 seconds
Last Thursday, Xiaomi Chairman and CEO Lei Jun announced that Xiaomi's first SUV YU7 was officially released, with a starting price of 253500 yuan, lower than Tesla Model Y's starting price of 263500 yuan in China. Lei Jun vigorously promoted the advantages of YU7 over Model Y in terms of range and power at the press conference. Although Tesla leads in areas such as assisted driving, Lei Jun insists that the YU7 has higher overall specifications and a better customer experience.
Xiaomi said that YU7 received 200000 orders within three minutes of starting after-sales service at 10 pm last Thursday. Tianfeng Securities pointed out that YU7 has the potential to become a popular product far beyond market expectations.
在线客服