The Xiaomi Su7 factory in China has become a tourist attraction. And there are those who pay a money to see it

He Xiaomi Su7 It appeared on December 28, 2023. It was not a joke, much less. Months later we saw an even more capable version, the Su7 ultraand almost for the anniversary, Xiaomi presented the SUV model: the Xiaomi Yu7. In less than three years, Xiaomi got his ambitious electric car will pass from the design table to the streetsand has achieved it thanks to a good strategy and a futuristic factory that is so successful that has become a tourist phenomenon.

So much that in China they are reluctant in tickets at higher prices than those who would be paid to enter Disneyland.

Success. The Xiaomi Su7 is to study it. It seemed crazy, but in less than a year, Xiaomi managed to sell 200,000 units and estimated to sell 300,000 this 2025. However, They had to update their forecasts because the new forecasts pointed more at 350,000 units. Its car division already represents 10% of the company’s income and hopes to start selling them outside China Facing 2027.

The factory. There is a huge investment behind to start something like that in such a short time, and much of the ‘guilt’ is the factory. It is estimated that a car occurs every 76 seconds, or 40 cars per hour, within the Xiaomi EV Factory of Yizhuang, and that is thanks to a very high degree of automation: 91%, according to estimates.

The plant has 700 robots performing processes of creating molds, assembly of parts, welding, paint and different quality verification processes that are responsible for guaranteeing the good condition of welding by points, of rivets and adhesives. Using tools with artificial intelligence and scanners, the correct installation of critical pieces and components such as batteries is controlled, as well as the structural integrity of the pieces.

There are humans. Beyond the manufacturing plant, there is a circuit of 2.5 kilometers in which vehicles undergo tests, but also different stations to ensure the performance of parts such as brakes, address or damping. And yes, there is human supervision (about 100 people), but in the end it is a highly automated process, such as the one we see in brand factories like Tesla.

Visits. Something very positive for the brand is that it has managed to generate a strong feeling of community among its users due to the huge product ecosystem (especially in China). And that visits to the plant are organized is an ideal opportunity for brand fans, to technology or automotive to take a look at the manufacturing process.

It is a strategy to strengthen their relationship with consumers, also a promotion tool, so that visitors see all those automatisms in action. There are exclusive products, visitors can take something in the plant’s dining room and the visit is divided into two parts:

• 40 minutes where the plant is presented, technology, SU7 design and talk about that automated production.
• 20 minutes Finals in which the production line is explored to see all the robots in action.

In addition, as they point out from Ithomethere is only one session on working days and five on weekends and holidays, so the opportunity is further limited.

Resale. Now, it is a factory, not a museum, so the visits are very controlled. It is done in groups of 20 people and thousands of people have signed up. It has become a highly demanded destination that is not only managing to compete against traditional options, but has promoted a resale market of tickets with madness prices.

As they point from Motorpasionthis resale leads to a black market in which prices reach 2,000 yuan, which would become about 280 euros. That per person and for an experience of, as we say, one hour. You can always wait for an entrance to touch you, but it is already a process that compare With that you touch the lottery because there are tens of thousands of applications and, as we see, the visits are very small.

And second hand. It is clear that there are those who see commercial opportunities anywhere, but the tickets for the Xiaomi EV Factory is not with the only thing that is played in the market. Although SU7 production is high, it seems that it is not enough to meet demand, so there is a generous waiting list. And there are those who are selling them as soon as they receive them.

Units with just 10 or 20 kilometers are sold by about 15,000 euros above of the sale price. It is something that we have already seen other times (As in 2022 with Tesla) And it is a way of who has many, eager to skip your waiting tail (and have the money), can do it.

The truth is that the Xiaomi EV Factory looks impressive, but we can only see it in videos like the one we leave on these lines. At least until Xiaomi is encouraged to remove their cars outside the Chinese borders and open plants through Europe, something that Other Chinese manufacturers are doing.

Images | Xiaomi

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