On March 30th, during an interview with Autohome, Xiaomi Car's Chief Designer, Li Tianyuan, provided a comprehensive insight into the design highlights, details, and stories behind the Xiaomi SU7. He also shared the story of how the design of the Xiaomi SU7 was completely revamped.
Li Tianyuan began by addressing the question, "What is the biggest challenge encountered at Xiaomi?" He stated that the biggest challenge faced was the complete overhaul of the design, which posed a significant challenge for the entire design team.
"This challenge arose from a shift in mindset. Previously, when designing, the mindset of designers was to create something different, to innovate, to create differentiation as much as possible."
"The early designs were completely different from what they are now. Most people were resistant to those initial designs during the early research phase. We had to rethink and switch to the user's perspective, approaching it from a novice's angle. It was quite difficult to let go and start over."
Regarding the decision to retain physical buttons in a car, he also responded, citing Xiaomi's insistence.
During the product definition phase, multiple teams discussed the primary concern, which was "interaction," involving giving feedback and receiving feedback, which is a physical action.
"Mr. Lei emphasized the integration of humans and cars. When you give a command to the car, the car needs to provide feedback. If communication is solely through the screen, the sense of connection would be lost. Therefore, we retained physical buttons."
"Furthermore, physical buttons are also crucial for safety. Xiaomi's consideration for physical buttons went a step further, as we introduced expandable components. Some users prefer vehicles without physical buttons, so we give users the choice."
