Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun admits to emotional distress over the car crisis: "I've been feeling quite depressed. April was the toughest month since I founded the company."

Since its European presentation at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​the Xiaomi SU7 —the Chinese brand's first electric model—had generated considerable excitement. Xiaomi's debut in the automotive sector was interpreted as a logical step in its diversification strategy, and the SU7 quickly became the symbol of this new era . With a sporty design, a technological interior, and a competitive price, the vehicle was aimed squarely at models like the Tesla Model 3 or the Nio ET5.

But all the success the SU7 has enjoyed since its release has been overshadowed by a tragic event. A fatal accident while the vehicle was driving in assisted driving mode has set off alarm bells and placed Xiaomi at the center of controversy.

So much so that, according to the online outlet Cars News China, Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun acknowledged on Weibo that the last month had been “the most difficult since I founded Xiaomi.” He admitted to feeling “quite depressed,” and that he had to cancel meetings, postpone business trips, and stay away from social media. “These past few years have been very hectic, but this time of quiet has allowed me to reflect deeply and gain valuable insights,” he added.

The three occupants of an SU7 died after crashing into a concrete barrier while driving in assisted mode.

Although the company has clarified that it was not fully autonomous driving, the fact that the car was operating with the system activated has generated an avalanche of reactions on social media and fueled the debate about the safety of these assistants.

Fatal accident

The accident occurred on March 29 in Anhui province, while the SU7 was traveling in assisted driving mode. The vehicle crashed into a concrete barrier at a speed of 116 km/h, according to an official statement from the company, causing a fire that killed all three occupants. Images of the impact, released by local media, quickly went viral, and although there is no official version yet, many users have questioned the reliability of the driver assistance system developed by Xiaomi.

The fatal crash, reminiscent of Tesla's Autopilot issues, isn't the only setback Lei Jun has had to deal with with his SU7. According to CarNewsChina , the brand has faced criticism for a software update that reduced the SU7 Ultra's maximum power output from 1,548 hp to around 900 hp under normal driving conditions.

More than 300 customers have requested a refund for the SU7 following the controversy over the power and carbon fiber hood.

This limitation, justified by safety concerns, upset many customers who had paid for a much more powerful vehicle. Ultimately, Xiaomi had to roll back the update via a new OTA and promised to improve communication with its users regarding future changes.

Added to this is the controversy surrounding the optional carbon fiber aerodynamic hood, which sold for an extra 42,000 yuan (about 5,200 euros) and offered no real performance improvements other than a slight weight reduction.

Read also

According to Bloomberg, more than 400 buyers, outraged by what they considered misleading advertising, filed lawsuits against the company, and at least 300 of them are demanding a full refund, as the model starts at a base price of around €65,500.

These controversies have caused a significant drop in Xiaomi's shares, which fell by as much as 5.7% on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last Monday.