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The Chinese gadget maker taking on Tesla and Apple
Formerly dismissed as a ‘Lego’ assembler, Xiaomi is building its reputation as a high-tech manufacturer.
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A Xiaomi SU7 Max car on display at the Xiaomi EV factory in Beijing. Xiaomi is aiming to reinvent itself as a manufacturing powerhouse.
PHOTO: AFP
Gloria Li and Eleanor Olcott
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An electric vehicle (EV) factory built by China’s largest smartphone maker has become a tourist attraction in Beijing, with visits to the company’s plant needing to be booked a month in advance and entry sometimes decided by lottery at peak times.
Xiaomi’s loyal fans, styled “mi fen”, pack its smart car factory every day to watch the production line churn out a car every 76 seconds. Tour guides proudly compare the manufacturing processes to those of Tesla, as the Chinese company seeks to emulate its American rival’s automated production line and build key EV components in-house.
