Xiaomi Automobile, the electric vehicle unit of Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi, has received more than 20,000 orders that cannot be canceled for its first model in less than 48 hours of it going on sale, according to an insider.
Orders that can be canceled within seven days, with consumers having to pay CNY5,000 (USD690) to pre-order the SU7, reached nearly 89,000 within 24 hours of the car's debut, the insider told Yicai.
During a visit to three Xiaomi Auto stores in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou on the first weekend after the SU7 launched on March 28, Yicai found the shops crowded, with many people waiting outside in long queues. Some consumers even stayed until late at night for a test drive.
Salespersons at the stores have been very busy and had to work until early in the morning in the days after the SU7 launched, they said to Yicai. Such an event has not been seen in the auto industry for years, they noted.
Xiaomi's store at Huaxi LIVE·Wukesong in Beijing has six test drive vehicles for those who have ordered the SU7, an employee told Yicai. Most clients wait in long queues without having ordered the car, but some choose to place an order on the spot and shorten the waiting time, with three such cases within an hour that day, he added.
A salesperson at Xiaomi Auto's sales service center in Guangzhou told Yicai that most visitors are young. "The store has four SU7 for test drive, and consumers who have paid a deposit have priority in using three of them, while the other car is for those who haven't ordered it," the person pointed out.
Xiaomi Auto has extended the initial delivery time of the SU7 due to the soaring number of orders. Its app showed that the waiting time for the SU7 standard version is at least 16 weeks as of 9.30 p.m. on March 31, while that of the SU7 Max is up to 29 weeks, Yicai found.
The delivery time of the SU7 will likely be around one month, salespersons at Xiaomi Auto stores told Yicai early last week before it went on sale.
The first phase of Xiaomi's auto plant in Beijing has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units. Xiaomi Auto will likely deliver 60,000 to 80,000 cars this year, which can reach up to about 100,000 units, according to estimates by several research institutes.
