Xiaomi\u2019s Cars Are Coming to Australia \u2014 the \u201cApple of China\u201d Takes Aim at Tesla

Things are about to get interesting in Australia as Xiaomi prepares to launch locally. The Chinese tech giant, known as the \u201cApple of China\u201d for its consumer electronics, has begun local hiring for a car business that did not exist before 2024 \u2014 and if early indicators are anything to go by, the newcomer could blow Zeekr, Chery and BYD away.

Xiaomi will launch in Europe first, next year, and Australia is likely to follow in 2028, though the company has not officially confirmed the Australian arrival. The vehicle it will probably lead with is the YU7 SUV, a rival to the Tesla Model Y, Zeekr 7X and BYD Sealion 7, with ranges of up to 835 km on the Chinese CLTC cycle and a GT performance grade that sprints from 0\u2013100 km/h in 2.9 seconds. Its most popular car in China is the SU7 sedan, a Model 3 rival with up to a claimed 900 km of CLTC range.

Despite having never built a car before 2024, Xiaomi is making arguably the most desirable cars in China. In October this year the brand entered its homeland\u2019s top 10 best-selling carmakers, delivering more than 50,000 vehicles in the month \u2014 its highest monthly total this year.

The Australian market is already reshaping around Chinese brands: four of the top 10 brands by year-to-date sales there are now Chinese \u2014 BYD, GWM, Chery and MG. Xiaomi\u2019s arrival would add the most hyped of them all to a market where Chinese cars are no longer the cheap alternative, but increasingly the cars buyers actually want.