(By Observer Net, Zhang Jiadong; Editor: Gao Xin)

According to Japan's Nikkei Asia, on July 1 local time, Xiaomi Auto is preparing to expand its production capacity and meet the high demand for its electric vehicles by deploying 1000 robots in its factory.

Xiaomi Auto Factory, Xiaomi Auto Official Website

Currently, Xiaomi Auto has only one electric vehicle factory located in Beijing, covering an area of 720,000 square meters, which also includes a sales store, a delivery center, and a test track within the factory premises. The factory has six major manufacturing processes: stamping, die casting, body manufacturing, painting, battery assembly, and complete vehicle assembly.

The Japanese media emphasized Xiaomi's integrated die-casting technology, which allows the creation of large body parts in one go using aluminum alloy die-casting. For example, under traditional manufacturing methods, a large module installed above the rear wheels requires 72 components welded together, with as many as 840 welding points. In contrast, the die-casting process can produce a single large component in one go, cutting the production time nearly in half.

Xiaomi stated that the company is one of only two companies in China, along with Tesla, that possess such giant die-casting machines. After die-casting, the components will be transported to shelves for inspection by high-performance laser radar sensors, assisted by AI technology to detect defects.

The transportation and inspection process is carried out by automated guided vehicles, and from die-casting to inspection and then to assembly, all processes in Xiaomi's factory are achieved through highly automated robotics.

Xiaomi Factory Robot Assembling the Body Frame, Xiaomi Auto Official Website

Nikkei Asia stated that Xiaomi's factory chooses to use automated guided vehicles to transport finished parts to robots, which then assemble the vehicles, replacing the traditional line production on large conveyor belts. Thanks to this high level of automation, Xiaomi's factory can complete a new car every 76 seconds, achieving a daily output of approximately 1000 vehicles.

However, this volume is still insufficient to cover the current delivery cycle of over 30 weeks for Xiaomi SU7 orders, and after the launch of its second model YU7 at the end of June, the record-breaking order volume further posed challenges to Xiaomi's production capacity.

Xiaomi Auto App Screenshot

On June 19, the Beijing municipal government announced that Xiaomi had invested about 640 million yuan to purchase approximately 500,000 square meters of land, which means that in addition to the second Xiaomi factory that is about to be completed, Xiaomi has already planned to build a third factory to expand its production capacity.

Foreign media noted that, based on the post-launch order performance of Xiaomi YU7, the model is expected to become a hit product comparable to the Model Y. According to data statistics, in less than nine months, the Xiaomi SU7 sold 256,000 new cars, while the sales of the Tesla Model 3 in China were 200,000 units.

According to the statement of Li Jun, founder of Xiaomi Auto, the YU7 will still target the same class of models as Tesla, with a slightly lower price. Faced with the order volume of 200,000 units within three minutes for this model, the outside world generally believes that the key to Xiaomi Auto's further growth lies in the factory's production capacity.

As a comparison, the latest data published by the Tesla Shanghai factory is that it can complete a whole vehicle in 40 seconds, and the delivery volume of this factory in 2024 was 916,000 units, with an annual production capacity of 950,000 units.

This article is an exclusive piece by Observer Net, and any unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7522640534348579343/

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