After series of rumors and denials, Xiaomi finally announced the commencement of modalities that would culminate in the launch of its first smart electric vehicle (EV) in China. The electric vehicle was one of the major highlights of a live broadcast by Xiaomi’s founder Lei Jun that was streamed yesterday. The broadcast was part of activities to mark the brand’s 11th anniversary.
At the live broadcast, Lei Jun disclosed that Xiaomi’s first car will either be a sedan or an SUV. He also disclosed that the car which is expected to be an electric vehicle will retail within the price range of 100,000 yuan (around $15,000) to 300,000 yuan (around $45,000). This means the car won’t be a budget product but will be positioned in the mid-to-high-end range. 
Further discussions were made about the use of the new Mi logo on the car and Lei Jun thinks the new design is more suitable for the car than the previous square logo. It is uncertain if the logo won’t be modified on the car considering that it was designed before Xiaomi kickstarted plans for an EV.
Earlier on, Lei Jun conducted a survey poll on Weibo before the live broadcast where he sought the opinions of fans on some key aspects of the EV. Some of the questions include whether fans will prefer a Xiaomi-branded car or if it should be launched in partnership with an established car maker.
The type of cars was also asked with options including cars like SUVs, sedans, sports cars, and RVs. The question on the price range had an option of “Less than 100,000 yuan”. As would be expected, the majority of the brand’s fans prefer a car priced at less than 100,000 yuan (~$15K).
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