Disappointment in Xiaomi YU7... Bad news for those who want to buy

China’s Xiaomi has sparked a fresh wave of complaints against customers of its new YU7 electric sports car after telling them they would have to wait more than a year to get their vehicles. The smartphone-turned-electric-car maker said it had received about 240,000 orders for the YU7 in the first 18 hours after the car went on sale on Thursday night, but only a small number were available for immediate delivery. On Tuesday, Xiaomi’s app showed buyers facing a wait of between 38 and 60 weeks, according to checks by Reuters. THEY HAVE COMPLAINED, WANTED THEIR MONEY BACK More than 400 buyers have complained to Sina’s Black Cat consumer complaints platform since Friday, saying they were not told about the long wait and demanding refunds, a Reuters review of records on the platform showed. Buyers had to put down a non-refundable deposit of 5,000 yuan ($697.97) to place their orders. THEY MAY HAVE TO PAY MORE Buyers said the official app only shows the estimated waiting time for the vehicle once their order is confirmed. They also expressed concerns over whether waiting longer would mean they would have to pay more, as a tax exemption for electric vehicles is set to expire at the end of this year. CLARITY TOMORROW Xiaomi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement on his Weibo account, where he has 26.8 million followers, CEO Lei Jun said he would answer some questions raised after the YU7 launch at a live-streamed event on Wednesday. THEY WAITED 7 MONTHS FOR THE SU7 Xiaomi made a big splash in China’s electric vehicle market with the launch of its first vehicle, the SU7 sedan, in March last year. While early buyers of the SU7 initially faced waiting times of up to seven months, it has sold more units in China than Tesla’s Model 3 on a monthly basis since December. The company has been grappling with consumer backlash since a fatal crash involving an SU7 in March. It has also faced complaints about vehicle delivery times and confusion over optional features. The YU7 is Xiaomi’s second model and is priced at 253,500 yuan ($35,360), about 4 percent less than Tesla’s Model Y, currently China’s best-selling SUV. Lei has been open about how Xiaomi wants to challenge Tesla’s Model Y for the top spot. Xiaomi is ramping up production at its Beijing factory and planning new factories at two nearby sites. Monthly production rose from 4,000 units last March to 28,000 in May.