Xiaomi is Romance Archivesin discussions with several Chinese automakers including Brilliance and Chery to build its own-branded electric vehicles, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Oct. 12, adding that no decision has been made in the ongoing talks. The Chinese smartphone giant has secured the greenlight from the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s state planner, to produce EVs, but is still waiting for final approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Reuters reported on Aug. 23. However, according to an Oct. 13 report by local media outlet Jiemian, Xiaomi made the move to work with partners in an effort to launch its second model, a sports utility vehicle, in the short term without the need to establish a new assembly line at its own factory on the outskirts of Beijing. Meanwhile, the company is expected to deliver between 50,000 and 60,000 units of its first consumer car, a sports sedan, at a starting price of under RMB 300,000 (around $41,000) next year, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said on social media platform X on Oct. 13. [Bloomberg; Jiemian, in Chinese]
