They compressed the timeline of building one.
When the SU7 and YU7 launched, the internet immediately noticed the Porsche + Ferrari resemblance.
Most people treated it like a styling controversy.
I see it as a strategy.
Because in the EV race, speed matters more than originality.
Traditional automakers spend years:
• Sketching new identities
• Testing endless design iterations
• Reworking aero performance
• Aligning engineering with styling
• Validating tooling and production
Even “fast” programs can take ~36 months.
Xiaomi took a different route.
Instead of inventing a new visual language from zero, they borrowed from designs already proven to work:
• Emotionally
• Aerodynamically
• Commercially
That shortcut likely saved them close to 12 months.
And those 12 months weren’t wasted.
They were redirected into the areas Xiaomi actually wants to dominate:
✅ Software
✅ Smart cabin experience
✅ Ecosystem integration
✅ User interface
✅ Connected lifestyle
In other words: They outsourced originality to focus on usability.
That’s a very internet-company way to build a car.
The lesson is bigger than automotive.
Sometimes the fastest companies don’t reinvent everything.
They identify what already works…
then concentrate their energy where differentiation actually matters.
Question: If you were building a new EV brand today…
Would you prioritize originality?
Or speed?
