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- Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun, said he bought 3 Tesla Model Ys to disassemble them.
- He said his team then studied every component carefully.
- He said the Model Y was an “outstanding” car, and those who don’t choose Xiaomi’s YU7 could consider it.
Xiaomi’s CEO revealed this week just how closely the company is studying its competition at Tesla.
During his annual speech on Thursday, Xiaomi chief executive Lei Jun said the company had bought 3 Tesla Model Ys and ripped them apart to examine them.
“We bought 3 Model Ys at the start of this year, disassembling the parts one by one, and studied every component, one at a time,” he said to a large crowd at the Beijing National Convention Center.
Behind him was a large screen displaying a side-by-side comparison of the Model Y to Xiaomi’s new YU7 electric SUV.
Lei added that he found Model Y to be a really good car.
“If you don’t choose YU7, you can consider Model Y,” the 55-year-old executive said.
He added that Xiaomi’s team spent a long time thinking about how to best design the SUV’s internal space. Lei said that the final version of the YU7’s design “definitely does not lose to the Model Y.”
He also compared the battery life of Xiaomi’s YU7 with that of the Model Y, and said he thought his firm had excellent performance for its price point.
“I’m not criticizing the Model Y. The Model Y is a very, very outstanding car,” Lei added.
This comes as Tesla’s sales in China dropped 4% in August to 83,200 units, compared to the year before, per data from the China Passenger Car Association.
It has been losing steam in the country as it faces intense competition from local players like Xiaomi, Xpeng, and Nio, all selling cheaper EVs than Tesla.
Xiaomi’s YU7 received over 240,000 preorders in 24 hours when it launched in June.
Representatives for Xiaomi and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
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