Recently, Li Xiang, the chairman of Li Auto, and Lei Jun, the chairman of Xiaomi, have been engaging in friendly yet insightful exchanges on social media. Li Auto's recent remark hinted that the launch of its new electric SUV, the i8, in Beijing would serve as a nod to Xiaomi.

Li Xiang noted that Xiaomi has already utilized most of Beijing's large venues, suggesting that holding the event elsewhere would entail significant travel expenses for staff.

From Li Xiang's comments, it is virtually confirmed that the launch event for the Li Auto i8 will take place in Beijing. Besides the high travel costs mentioned, another crucial factor is that both Xiaomi and Li Auto have their headquarters in Beijing.

However, Chekuaiping's perspective suggests that Li Auto is known for its frugality when it comes to spending.

On July 12, Lei Jun, Xiaomi's chairman, retweeted Li Xiang's Weibo post, expressing enthusiasm for a Beijing launch, a mutual tribute, and wishing the i8 launch event success.

Moreover, in late June, Li Xiang reciprocated by retweeting Lei Jun's Weibo post and wishing Xiaomi YU great sales.

While Li Xiang and Lei Jun, along with Li Bin and He Xiaopeng, enjoy cordial personal relationships and frequently interact on social media, their respective involvements in the automotive industry inevitably breed competition. This is evident in Xiaomi's recently launched YU7 and Li Auto's upcoming i8.

Positioning-wise, both vehicles target the mid-to-large electric SUV segment. Regarding pricing, it is highly probable that Li Auto's i8 will be pricier than Xiaomi's YU7 (with a starting price of around 350,000 yuan), both falling into the mid-to-high-end category.

In the domestic mid-to-high-end electric SUV market (with a starting price above 200,000 yuan), Tesla Model Y is currently the only model consistently maintaining monthly sales of over 10,000 units.

Xiaomi YU7, with Xiaomi's brand influence and Lei Jun's personal charisma, received over 200,000 orders within three minutes, suggesting a strong potential to surpass 10,000 monthly sales. Many believe that among domestic mid-to-high-end electric SUVs, Xiaomi YU7 might be the only one capable of outperforming Tesla Model Y in sales.

Li Auto, with its "refrigerator, TV, and large sofa" concept and range-extending hybrid technology that alleviates range anxiety, has consistently performed well. As Li Auto's second electric model and first electric SUV, the i8 boasts several highlights, including a bullet-head design similar to Li Auto MEGA, which provides smooth lines and a lower drag coefficient. With a body length of nearly 5.1 meters and an axle base exceeding 3 meters, the i8 offers ample interior space, adopting a 2+2+2 six-seat layout similar to Li Auto L8.

In terms of power, all models of the Li Auto i8 are equipped with front and rear dual motors, offering a maximum pure electric range of 720 kilometers and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time as fast as 4.3 seconds. With 5C ultra-fast charging technology, it can add 500 kilometers of range in just 10 minutes.

Despite superficial differences in positioning—Xiaomi YU7 emphasizes sports handling, while Li Auto i8 targets family-oriented SUV buyers—competition between these two vehicles is inevitable. This signals the impending battle between Xiaomi and Li Auto in the electric SUV market.

Therefore, don't be deceived by the apparent camaraderie between Li Xiang and Lei Jun; behind the scenes, they have already embarked on their rivalry. Li Xiang's suggestion that SUV and MPV buyers hold off on their purchase decisions until after the Li Auto i8 launch event underscores this point.

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