Xiaomi sets up development center for electric cars in Munich

Xiaomi is actually known for household appliances and smartphones. But at the end of 2023, the Chinese company surprised everyone with the concept of a sporty electric car, which was launched on the market a few months later and is selling well in China. Next, Xiaomi wants to expand abroad.

The Chinese company is also planning a research and development (R&D) center for electric cars in Germany, reports Nikkei. The company confirmed this to the Japanese business newspaper. The location is to be Munich.

Almost 50 employees are to work in Munich, most of them in the areas of management and business, reports the Chinese news website 36 Krypton, citing a source with insider knowledge. Xiaomi wants to recruit an elite team for the Munich site and also poach experts from competitors.

Motorsport experts work in Munich

This already seems to have been successful: The R&D center will be headed by former BMW manager Rudolf Dittrich, who worked there in the motorsport department, among other things. His team includes Ricard Aiguabella Macau, who was previously an aerodynamicist with the Ferrari Formula 1 team.

According to the source, one of the Munich team's tasks is to work on the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra prototype, which set a record on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife last year.

So far, Xiaomi has only launched one car on the market, the SU7 electric sports car, which is intended as a competitor to the Porsche Taycan and is selling very well in China.

In the future, the SU7 will also be available in Europe. To this end, the Group is setting up a sales team based in Düsseldorf. It will prepare the market entry in Germany, France, and Spain.

(wpl)