Lei Jun, founder, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi Auto, spoke at the 2025 World Intelligent Connected Vehicle Conference in Beijing on October 16. He shared Xiaomi’s progress in auto-making, analyzed industry trends and called for joint efforts to build an industry ecosystem.
Xiaomi’s Auto Milestones
Lei said Xiaomi has been building cars for 4.5 years and launching products for 1.5 years. By now, it has delivered about 400,000 vehicles. He noted the industry’s shift: the “electrification” phase of intelligent connected vehicles has basically ended, and the “intelligentization” phase is deepening.
Intelligent technologies are reshaping cars in product definition, production modes, business models and user experience, Lei stressed. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are a key focus. To catch this trend, Xiaomi equipped all its YU7 models with the same high configuration: 700T computing power, lidar and 4D millimeter-wave radar. This improves ADAS experience and safety, and leaves room for future tech upgrades.
In R&D, Xiaomi invested 5.79 billion yuan in the first phase. Its dedicated intelligent driving team has over 1,800 members. The company also works with top universities like Tsinghua University and the University of Hong Kong on forward-looking research. Besides, it applied smartphone tech to cars—using on-board cameras for in-car imaging, letting users take and share photos of scenery easily and safely, which is well-received by users.
AI and Ecosystem Strategy
Lei pointed out that “AI cars” are the future, with huge innovation potential. He highlighted the value of end-side AI models: they work without internet, greatly enhancing AI experience. These models integrate emotion recognition and multi-modal interaction, enabling cars to “recognize people, understand the world and read screens”. Voice synthesis becomes more human-like with tone and emotion, and the system learns and adapts to users’ habits and preferences.
Lei defined cars as “intelligent mobile spaces”. Aligning with Xiaomi’s “human-vehicle-home all ecosystem” strategy, cars are a key part of it. Leveraging Xiaomi’s global largest consumer AIoT platform (connecting nearly 1 billion smart devices), cars can access the ecosystem’s AI computing power for rich scenario-based applications. Currently, Car IoT products for core car scenarios have achieved leading smart ecosystem experience through hardware preparation, software adaptation and scenario linkage.
Call for Industry Collaboration
Lei said the intelligent connected vehicle industry is complex and covers many fields. It needs full-industry collaboration rather than individual breakthroughs. China’s rapid development in this sector benefits from precise and stable policies, such as the “New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035)” issued by the State Council in 2020, which supports ecosystem-led enterprises.
As an ecosystem-focused tech firm, Xiaomi always participates in industry development as a co-builder, Lei emphasized. He called on the industry to unite: the sector is in a historic opportunity period, and it’s not a zero-sum game. Under government guidance, the industry should prioritize safety, quality and innovation. It should focus resources on technological innovation and R&D in key underlying technologies and fields, resist online chaos like “online trolls” and “negative public relations”, and create a positive and orderly development environment.
Lei concluded that Xiaomi will be more open to work with peers and partners to advance the industry.
