The event sparked discussion among netizens as Lei Jun's "circle of friends" featured prominent figures from various automotive companies such as NIO, Xiaopeng, Li Auto, and Great Wall Motors attending the launch event, welcoming and endorsing Xiaomi's venture into the automotive industry.
After the conference, Li Bin even teamed up with Lei Jun to shoot a video congratulating Xiaomi's successful sales of its cars. At the same time, Li Bin also expressed some grievances, stating that the pricing of the SU7 was too aggressive, making it difficult to price the subsequent models properly.
It's reported that Leador, NIO's second brand, is set to be unveiled in early to mid-May, with the first model slated for launch in the third quarter and deliveries scheduled for the fourth quarter.
According to previous statements by Li Bin, Leador's first model, the standard range version, will have a battery capacity of less than 75 kWh. Leador-branded vehicles will also adopt NIO's BaaS (Battery as a Service) battery rental service model, further reducing the barrier to entry for consumers.
Leador aims to compete with Tesla's Model Y, with costs expected to be about 10% lower, placing it in the same market segment as the SU7.
