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Xiaomi Planning to Open 30,000 Stores as It Prepares the Car Offensive

Tech giants are slowly but surely stepping into the automotive industry, not only with software and services but with their very own cars too.
Xiaomi wants its stores to also double as car dealerships 8 photos
Photo: Xiaomist
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While Apple is without a doubt the biggest tech firm currently developing a self-driving EV, others have already confirmed similar plans too, including Chinese phone manufacturer Xiaomi.

The company wants to launch its own car by 2024, so right now, Xiaomi is hard at work preparing its automotive offensive on pretty much all fronts.

While the development of the vehicle is obviously the main focus right now, Xiaomi is also trying to make sure that once the launch takes place, everybody can come in and see what its car is all about.

That’s why the company has recently announced an ambitious plan of opening no less than 30,000 stores, with Chinese media revealing that many of them will be specifically built to double as a car dealership.

In other words, Xiaomi wants to build all-in-one stores that will serve more than just a single purpose.

The Chinese tech behemoth aims to create locations of at least 600 square meters that would allow visitors not only to get a hands-on experience with the latest devices, be they smartphones, tablets, or smartwatches, but also to see the Xiaomi cars live.

The plan is mostly aimed at China, so there’s one big question that Xiaomi is yet to answer: is the company planning to go international with its upcoming EV or will it just focus on the domestic market?

Without a doubt, if Xiaomi plans to compete directly against Apple and its upcoming Apple Car, expanding the availability of its vehicle beyond the borders of China is the only way to go. On the other hand, it’ll be a challenge for Xiaomi to bring its cars to Europe and the United States, so it’ll certainly be interesting to see how the company’s automotive ambitions evolve in the coming years.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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