Farley had a Xiaomi SU7 imported from Shanghai and has been driving it for months. He absolutely loves it.
If you need more proof that American automakers are lagging in the electric vehicle race, here’s a major one: Ford CEO Jim Farley admitted he’s been driving a Chinese-made Xiaomi SU7 for months and has no intention of giving it up.
“I’ve had two trips to China in the past two years that were real eye-openers,” Farley said in an interview with the Everything Electric Show, posted on YouTube Monday. “The latest one was about Xiaomi’s product. In the West, our phone companies don’t have car divisions. But in China, the two biggest phone companies, Huawei and Xiaomi, are integrated into every car produced.”
Xiaomi, a leading Chinese smartphone and e-scooter manufacturer, introduced its first passenger car, the SU7, in late 2023. It quickly became a hit, selling out the entire 2024 production run within 24 hours, and now has a six-month waiting list.
“[Xiaomi] is a powerhouse in the industry and a consumer brand far stronger than most car companies,” Farley said. “I don’t usually talk this much about the competition, but I drive a Xiaomi. We had one flown from Shanghai to Chicago, and I’ve been driving it for six months. I don’t want to give it up.”
Farley’s remarks come at a time when Western automakers are severely lagging behind on technical development for EVs. Our sister site InsideEVs visited Shanghai earlier this year, discovering Chinese brands are years ahead of manufacturers located in the US and Europe with regards to price, battery tech, software integration, charging, and range.
Americans can’t experience any of these advancements, of course, because of massive tariffs levied on Chinese auto imports. The fear is that without these tariffs, Chinese automakers would eviscerate western carmakers overnight with superior products offered at lower prices, tanking the entire industry.
Back in September, Farley called Chinese manufacturers an “existential threat.” His love for the SU7 suggests that theory is spot on. If this isn’t a signal Western carmakers need to catch up fast, we don’t know what is.
