Xiaomi, a company known for phones, has jumped into the electric car business. Its new car, the YU7, quickly became a huge hit. People ordered many cars right away, showing how much excitement there was for Xiaomi’s new product.
Last week, when the YU7 went on sale, Xiaomi received about 240,000 orders in just 18 hours. What’s even more impressive is that 200,000 of those cars sold in the first three minutes. That number broke a record set by Tesla. The Model 3 sold 115,000 units in 24 hours. Xiaomi clearly made a big splash.
Despite this amazing start, a problem quickly appeared. Xiaomi only had a few YU7 cars ready for delivery. This meant many customers would have to wait a very long time for their new vehicle. By Friday, more than 400 buyers had filed complaints on Sina’s Black Cat platform. These customers said they were not told about the long wait times. They are now asking for their money back, according to Reuters.
Xiaomi YU7 Buyers Face Long Delays
On Tuesday, the Xiaomi app showed customers a very long wait for their YU7. People could expect to wait anywhere from 38 to 60 weeks. Reuters checked this information and found it to be true. Buyers claimed the Xiaomi app only showed the estimated delivery time after they confirmed their order. This made many feel misled.
There’s another concern for these customers. A longer wait means they might pay more. A tax break for electric vehicles is set to end later this year. If their car isn’t delivered before then, they could miss out on saving money. This adds to the frustration for those who ordered early.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi is working hard to keep up with demand. The company wants to compete directly with Tesla. Xiaomi has been making more cars at its factory in Beijing. It also plans to build new factories nearby. In March, Xiaomi produced 4,000 units. By May, that number had jumped to 28,000 cars a month. Xiaomi is pushing to speed things up and meet the high demand for its new YU7.