SU7 orders are three to five times higher than previously expected, and Xiaomi EV is in full production to meet delivery demand, the company's CEO said.

(Image credit: Xiaomi EV)

Xiaomi (HKG: 1810, OTCMKTS: XIACY) has begun deliveries of customized vehicles for its first electric vehicle (EV) model, the SU7, with the smartphone giant's CEO saying sales are well above expectations.

Deliveries of customized vehicles of the standard and Max variants of the SU7 electric sedan have begun in Beijing and Shenzhen, Xiaomi's founder, chairman and CEO Lei Jun said in a live streaming on short-form video platform Douyin today.

This is 12 days ahead of Xiaomi's original plan to start deliveries at the end of April, and deliveries of the SU7 Pro will still start at the end of May, he said.

The Xiaomi SU7 has set a number of records for domestically produced cars, with orders three to five times higher than previously expected, and the company is in full production to meet delivery demand, Lei said.

Xiaomi officially launched the SU7 on March 28, offering three versions -- Standard, Pro, and Max -- with starting prices of RMB 215,900 ($29,820), RMB 245,900, and RMB 299,900, respectively.

Deliveries of the standard and Max versions of the customized car would start at the end of April, and the Pro version at the end of May, the company said at the model's launch event.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi was offering a Founders Edition for the SU7, limited to 5,000 units, with deliveries starting on April 3, when Lei said the SU7 received more than 100,000 firm orders and more than 40,000 locked-in orders.

Xiaomi EV delivery centers currently cover 29 cities in China, and the number will increase to 40 by the end of the year, Lei said in today's live streaming.

Asked whether Xiaomi EV will launch an SUV (sport utility vehicle) model and a model priced at around RMB 100,000, Lei said he's not able to disclose any information right now.

"The new car plan is currently kept secret for the time being and we will focus on the SU7," he said.

Lei said that Xiaomi EV has no plans to launch off-road models at the moment, saying that Great Wall Motor is doing a good job in that area.

Separately, a report by local media outlet Lanjinger said Xiaomi plans to launch more color options for the SU7 in the second half of the year, but the exact scheme is yet to be finalized.

The Xiaomi SU7 is currently available in nine exterior colors, three of which are free, while the other six require an additional payment of RMB 7,000.

($1 = RMB 7.2391)

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