Recently, the Xiaomi SU7’s launch has sparked significant buzz, pushing the topic “Lei Jun Replies to Zhang Songwen” to the top of Weibo’s trending searches on March 30th.
On March 31st, Lei Jun, Chairman of Xiaomi Group, announced that a second phase of sales for the Founder’s Edition of Xiaomi SU7 would commence. On the same day, Li Xiaoshuang, Vice President of Xiaomi Automobile, released a statement addressing the stirring of public opinion by some individuals under the guise of Xiaomi fans, hinting at malicious intent in fanning disputes.
Lei Jun Announces Second Phase of Sales
Responding to Zhang Songwen With a Car
On March 31st, Lei Jun posted on Weibo, stating that during the reservation phase for the Xiaomi SU7 Founder’s Edition, the company identified and blocked some abnormal and scalper orders, thereby deciding to initiate a second round of sales.
Special Note: A 20,000 RMB deposit is required, which secures the order; customers who have already placed a deposit for the non-Founder’s version are also eligible to participate in this round of sales. By successful placement, their existing orders can be converted to the Founder’s Edition. Participants in this round of ordering will enjoy the same deluxe car purchase benefits worth up to 31,000 RMB as offered on the night of March 28th.
The day before (March 30th), Lei Jun replied to Zhang Songwen on his personal Weibo, saying: “We have prepared a car for you, with delivery starting from April 3rd. Welcome to visit us. Which color do you like?”
This was in response to a netizen’s question in the comments section under a post by Zhang Songwen asking, “Xiaomi cars are about to go on sale, has Mr. Lei not prepared a car for the teacher?”
Zhang Songwen humorously asked, “No one has mentioned this to me yet, how should I subtly hint at it without overstepping?” Lei Jun then forwarded the reply.
Previously at the top trending search, a question raised was, “Can Lei Jun start producing cameras?”, to which Lei Jun did not respond.
On April 18th, 2023, Lei Jun introduced a new friend on the official Weibo: Mr. Zhang Songwen, a Xiaomi imaging explorer. Lei Jun expressed his admiration for him, praising his portrayal of each role based on real-life experiences, his compassion for people, and his ability to touch hearts.
Xiaomi Automobile Vice President Responds to Recent Controversies
On March 31st, Li Xiaoshuang, the Vice President of Xiaomi Automobile, addressed recent controversies: After the launch of Xiaomi SU7, the car received widespread approval and popularity, but there were a series of unrelated controversies. The company kept silent, but due to many friends asking questions in the last two days, I will provide a brief response.
Firstly, regarding the deletion of a photo with Lei Jun, Chen Zhen’s statement makes sense: turning such a thing into speculation is indeed puzzling.
This was back in early February when we arranged for Lei Jun to meet nearly 20 automotive media friends for individual conversations. As the meetings were private, we agreed that all information regarding the meeting’s content had to be kept confidential. Hence the communication about deleting the group photo. This has nothing to do with the release of Xiaomi SU7.
Source: Li Xiaoshuang’s Weibo
Furthermore, we’ve noticed that some individuals stirring the pot under the pretense of being Xiaomi fans had ill intentions. We also found that someone was openly distributing commercial orders to smear Xiaomi SU7. Such behavior is despicable. We have preliminarily gathered some evidence and will resolutely pursue legal responsibilities.
Recently, the famous automotive blogger Chen Zhen received attention and controversy for his review video on Xiaomi SU7 and deleting a photo with Lei Jun. Chen Zhen responded to these controversies, saying, “I deleted my photo with Mr. Lei back on February 5th, just because they didn’t like the way they looked, isn’t it normal to delete it out of politeness? And this is also used to fabricate rumors…”
Additionally, regarding the accusations against his review video of Xiaomi SU7 of being “intentionally negative” and “biased,” Chen Zhen released several videos saying that some people are “taking things out of context and distorting facts.” Sharing impressions is inherently subjective; if one desires objectivity, they can look at the spec sheets.
Chen Zhen reiterated that his critique was not intentional; he was very restrained and merely expressed his views about the car as a dedicated Xiaomi fan. He suggested that if others have differing opinions or doubts, they should try the car themselves.
Previously, in his review of the Xiaomi SU7, Chen Zhen thoroughly analyzed aspects like performance, design, and technology, objectively pointing out the vehicle’s strengths and weaknesses in driving experience, battery life, and level of intelligence. However, his review provoked discontent among some netizens who found his comments overly critical or even disparaging to Xiaomi Automobile.
On March 31st, Chen Zhen posted again: “Okay! I get it! I sincerely hope that Xiaomi SU8 will be better. Is that enough? Can we end it here?”
Xiaomi Automobile SU7 Delivery Time Extended
Orders for Max Version Pushed to About Half a Year
According to the Xiaomi Automobile App, some orders for the Xiaomi SU7 have a delivery time extended to about half a year.
For new reservations, the expected delivery time for the standard edition is approximately 14-17 weeks after order confirmation, the Pro edition 17-20 weeks, and the Max edition requires 26-29 weeks.
As stated by Xiaomi’s official Weibo, the Founder’s Edition of Xiaomi SU7 starts delivery on April 3rd. The regular edition and the Max edition are expected to commence delivery at the end of April, while the Pro edition is set to begin at the end of May. Delivery times can be referenced from the estimated periods presented during configuration selection in the APP.
On March 29th, Xiaomi Automobile officially announced that within 24 hours of the market launch, the Xiaomi SU7 had received a tremendous number of reservations, totaling 88,898 units.
As part of the plan, the Xiaomi Automobile factory is being built in two phases. The first phase covers an area of about 720,000 square meters with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles and is due for completion in June 2023. The second phase is scheduled to begin construction in 2024 and completion by 2025.