Key Points
- Customers ordering Xiaomi’s new YU7 electric SUV face waits of more than a year.
- Buyers complain they weren’t told about the long wait until after paying a non-refundable deposit.
- The YU7 was extremely popular at launch, receiving about 240,000 orders in the first 18 hours.
- The YU7 is Xiaomi’s second vehicle and is priced to compete directly with Tesla’s Model Y.
China’s Xiaomi is facing a fresh wave of customer complaints after telling buyers of its new YU7 electric SUV they will have to wait more than a year to get their vehicle. The tech company, which recently entered the car market, was overwhelmed with demand, receiving roughly 240,000 orders within the first 18 hours of the YU7’s launch.
However, the excitement quickly turned to frustration. On Xiaomi’s app, the estimated wait time for the new SUV now stretches from 38 to 60 weeks. Hundreds of angry buyers have filed official complaints, claiming they were not aware of the massive delay until after they had already paid a non-refundable deposit of 5,000 yuan (approximately $700) to secure their order.
Customers are also worried that the government’s tax exemption for electric vehicles will expire at the end of this year. A year-long wait could mean they miss out on the savings and end up paying more for the car than they expected.
Xiaomi has not yet issued a formal response, but its popular CEO, Lei Jun, has promised to answer customer questions during a live online broadcast. This isn’t the first time the company has struggled with production issues.
Xiaomi’s first car, the SU7 sedan, also had long waits, though it has since become a sales success, even outselling Tesla’s Model 3 in China in recent months. The YU7 is priced to compete directly with Tesla’s best-selling Model Y SUV.
