Since its debut on June 26, Xiaomi's YU7 has stirred up considerable excitement in the market. Official figures reveal that within mere minutes of its launch, pre-orders surpassed 200,000 units, hitting 289,000 within an hour and locking in over 240,000 orders within 18 hours.

However, many customers have noticed a significant delay in the estimated delivery times. For new orders, the quickest delivery is projected at 33 weeks, while the standard version may take up to 57 weeks (around 14 months), meaning some customers will have to wait until 2026 to receive their vehicles.

In response, several automakers have devised an "interception" strategy.

For those eager to get behind the wheel sooner, the options are limited: either purchase a transferred order from resellers at a premium or cancel and opt for a different brand. This situation presents a prime opportunity for rival automakers to poach orders.

According to reports from Cailian Press and other media outlets, multiple new energy vehicle manufacturers, including NIO, AITO, ZEEKR, IM Motors, and Hongmeng Auto, have recently rolled out multi-tiered competitive strategies, intensifying the competition for customers in the new energy market.

NIO has introduced a tiered compensation plan: A sales representative from a Shanghai NIO store explained that purchasing any NIO model directly reimburses the RMB 5,000 YU7 deposit; choosing a Ledo sub-brand model requires reporting to the store manager for the same reimbursement; and the Firefly series offers RMB 2,000. Salespeople in Shanghai revealed that some customers received proactive subsidy offers from NIO the day after the YU7 production schedule was announced.

AITO stores in Hubei, Chengdu, and other regions have clearly stated that they provide full deposit reimbursement, coupled with additional vehicle maintenance packages and Bull brand 32A AC charging stations, creating a comprehensive "cash + benefits" offer. On July 1, AITO and related automakers confirmed that while the deposit reimbursement is genuine, it is a store-level initiative rather than an official policy.

ZEEKR employs a regionally tailored strategy: Stores in Hubei offer direct YU7 deposit reimbursement, while in Sichuan, it's converted into points rewards. IM Motors in Changsha supports direct reimbursement, and Xi'an users can convert their deposits into national general electricity card credits.

Hongmeng Auto's sub-brand Zhi Jie has also entered the fray: Purchasing Zhi Jie S7 or R7 models reimburses the YU7 deposit. While the Wenjie series has yet to officially announce a policy, some Jiangsu customers have reported receiving deposit refunds upon purchasing Wenjie M8 without needing to provide Xiaomi App order screenshots.

As of publication, Xiaomi Motors has not officially responded to its competitors' interception strategies. However, market analysts predict that as the YU7 delivery timeline remains under pressure, the competition for orders among new energy automakers is likely to intensify further.