On the evening of February 3rd, Lei Jun posted on social media that “Xiaomi SU7 is currently undergoing comprehensive road testing nationwide, and we are now working intensively to prepare for the launch of Xiaomi SU7. In order for me to focus more on the automotive business, the company has decided that Lu Weibing, the Group’s President, will also serve as the General Manager of the Xiaomi brand. In the future, Xiaomi’s smartphone launch events will be hosted by him, starting with the Xiaomi 14Ultra.”
At the same time, Lei Jun emphasized that the smartphone business remains Xiaomi’s core business, and he will continue to devote sufficient energy to it.
Photo Source: Lei Jun Weibo
Lu Weibing Takes Over Concurrently as General Manager of the Xiaomi Brand
After Lei Jun’s post, Lu Weibing, the Group President of Xiaomi, took on an additional role. Lu Weibing reposted Lei Jun’s Weibo post with the comment, “Thank you for Chairman Lei’s trust. Being the General Manager of the Xiaomi brand is a huge responsibility and an honorable mission. I will do my best, continue to progress in the established direction. See you at the Xiaomi 14Ultra launch event!”
According to the resume disclosed on Xiaomi Group’s official website, Lu Weibing was born in September 1975. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Tsinghua University in 1998 and a Master’s degree in Advanced Business Administration from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in 2009. He currently serves as a Partner, Group President, and also oversees the International Business Department at Xiaomi Group, managing the Mobile Phone Division, Ecological Chain Division, Home Appliance Division, China Region, and India Region.
Lu Weibing joined Xiaomi Group in 2019, where he was responsible for sales management in the China and International departments, as well as the development of the Redmi brand, product planning, production, sales, and marketing.
Prior to joining Xiaomi, Lu Weibing served as the founder and CEO of Shenzhen Chengyi Technology Co., Ltd. from June 2017 to December 2018. From April 2010 to June 2017, he was the President of Shenzhen Jinli Communication Equipment Co., Ltd. Previously, from January 2008 to March 2010, he was the General Manager of the Overseas Business Department at Beijing Tianyu Langtong Communication Equipment Co., Ltd. From July 1998 to December 2007, he held the position of Sales Manager at Konka Communication Technology Co., Ltd.
Xiaomi SU7 Expected to Launch in the First Half of the Year
“Very Powerful Configuration, Very High Cost”
On December 28, 2023, at the launch event held by Xiaomi Group, Xiaomi’s first car product – SU7 was unveiled to the public. This Xiaomi vehicle, which has been in development for 3 years, once again became the center of attention.
Regarding the official release date, Lei Jun stated that it is expected to be officially launched in the first half of 2024, and small-scale production is currently underway. “This car has a very powerful configuration and a very high cost. The prices everyone is talking about, 99,000 yuan, 149,000 yuan, or even 199,000 yuan, I think they are all kidding. The pricing may indeed be a bit high, and we will announce it at the official Xiaomi car product launch event.”
Photo Source: Lei Jun Weibo
On January 30, it was reported by the media that a large insurance company confirmed that the premium for the high-end version of Xiaomi’s car is 361,400 yuan. In response, Xiaomi’s car department told Red Star Capital Bureau that Wang Hua, the General Manager of the Public Relations Department of Xiaomi Group, has responded on Weibo.
According to the online exposed insurance information, the premium for the Xiaomi BJ7000MBEVA1 electric sedan is 361,400 yuan. This number corresponds to one of the two new cars announced by Xiaomi in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s 377th batch of “Announcement of Road Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Products” in November last year. An automotive blogger pointed out that the new car registration does not have a fixed price requirement, but it requires a valid invoice, and the price on the invoice has no reference value.
Wang Hua, the General Manager of the Public Relations Department of Xiaomi Group, reposted the blogger’s comment and added, “There are knowledgeable people out there! You should have seen the internal cars being registered for license plates in recent days. This is also to test all the processes of running in sales and services, and of course buying insurance is one of the steps.” He indicated in the comment that this is a basic operation in the industry that many people are unaware of. Implicitly, the price of this insurance policy is not the actual selling price; it is just for testing purposes.