Xiaomi may be gearing up to challenge Tesla in the EV space with its own YU7 crossover, but CEO Lei Jun showed rare candor during his annual speech, openly praising the Tesla Model Y, the very car Xiaomi’s new EV is set to compete against.
Lei Jun revealed that Xiaomi purchased three Tesla Model Y units earlier this year, not to drive but to tear down and study. The findings, he admitted, left the team impressed. “We bought three Tesla Model Ys for disassembly and research inside Xiaomi earlier this year. What a great vehicle,” Lei Jun remarked.
In a surprising display of respect toward a competitor, Lei Jun even encouraged customers to consider Tesla if Xiaomi’s own YU7 doesn’t appeal to them.
“If you don’t like Xiaomi YU7, you can choose Model Y,” he said.
Lei Jun was clear that Tesla’s success isn’t simply about brand recognition or CEO Elon Musk’s fame. Instead, he acknowledged the Model Y’s technical edge.
“It is the world’s best-selling vehicle not simply because of Musk fame and there is a lot to it. We (Xiaomi) torn down Model Y and analyzed it. There’s a lot to learn from Model Y. Tesla is not only leading in vehicle energy consumption, FSD, etc. It is also leading in many other aspects.”
His remarks come as Tesla continues to push the boundaries of Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology. After Tesla’s recent driverless delivery demonstrations in Austin, Lei Jun offered congratulations directly.
“Tesla is indeed amazing, leading the industry trends in many areas, especially FSD. We still have to continue learning!” he wrote on Weibo in response to Tesla VP Grace Tao’s post about the milestone.
