Xiaomi’s EV business ramps up hiring in preparation for overseas sales

BELARUS, NOVOPOLOTSK – 25 FEBRUARY, 2021: Xiaomi redmi 8 pro phone box close up Credit: 123rf

Xiaomi has recently set up a team dedicated to selling electric vehicles overseas under the company’s international business division, hiring new employees for market research, project management, and after-sale services, people familiar with the matter told Chinese media outlet 36Kr. It is also listing job openings at its autonomous driving team with responsibilities to navigate international regulations around self-driving systems and planning to start small-scale sales of its EVs in multiple countries and regions once the teams are ready, according to the report. The Chinese smartphone giant, which operates roughly 100 direct sales stores in countries outside of China, aims to increase that number to more than 10,000 in the next five years, president Lu Weibing announced at a conference last month. The company for now has only one model, the SU7 sedan, on sale at a starting price of RMB 215,900 ($29,665), with a second model, the YU7 crossover, scheduled for launch next summer, TechNode reported. [TechNode reporting, 36Kr, in Chinese]