Xiaomi in China fines supplier for leaky car designs

On its official Weibo page, a spokesperson wrote that Xiaomi had “dealed seriously” with a Beijing-based molding technology company which, on January 22, publicly revealed images of the front and rear bumpers of a upcoming car, violating a confidentiality agreement.

Xiaomi did not disclose the company name and Reuters could not identify it.

As punishment, the smartphone-turned-car maker said it would impose “economic compensation” of 1 million yuan ($148,763) on the vendor.

The spokesperson added that it had asked the provider to strengthen its information security management and develop plans to upgrade its privacy measures.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun also circulated the note on his personal Weibo page.

During the Chinese New Year, images purportedly showing mock-ups of the front and rear of Xiaomi’s upcoming electric vehicle (EV) spread on social media, along with a full view of what appeared to be a white compact sedan, with a license plate that read “MS11”.

The leaks would mark the first confirmed images of Xiaomi’s long-awaited automobile.

However, news portal Sina Tech reported that Wang Hua, general manager of Xiaomi’s public relations department, said the leaked designs were part of a bidding process and were not renders. final.

In March 2021, Xiaomi, a hardware company best known for its smartphones, announced it would enter the automotive business, aiming to invest $10 billion in the ten-year project.

The company has since pledged to open a plant in Beijing that could produce 300,000 vehicles a year.

The company said it hopes to reach mass production of its cars in the first half of 2024.