Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi unveils first electric car

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BEIJING: Chinese consumer electronics giant Xiaomi unveiled its first electric car model on Thursday (Dec 28), with its boss declaring ambitions of becoming one of the world’s top five automakers.

The sedan, dubbed the SU7 with the SU short for Speed Ultra, is a highly anticipated model that chief executive Lei Jun touted as having “super electric motor” technology capable of delivering acceleration speeds faster than Tesla cars and Porsche’s EVs.

But the car – likely to go on sale in several months – is making its debut at a time when China’s auto market – the world’s largest – is wrestling with a capacity glut and slowing demand that have stoked a bruising price war.

That didn’t stop Lei from outlining big ambitions.

“By working hard over the next 15 to 20 years, we will become one of the world’s top five automakers, striving to lift China’s overall automobile industry,” he said at the unveiling.

Those plans include building “a dream car comparable to Porsche and Tesla”, he added.

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‘We can’t find the owner’: Staff forced to take leave as Chinese firms struggle

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At the central economic work conference last week, which laid out key economic tasks for 2024, China’s top leadership said development was the biggest political priority, and pledged to exhaust all efforts to consolidate economic growth, including more policies to stabilise the job situation, support the private sector and increase household incomes.Continue Reading

China issues draft plan for data security incidents

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BEIJING: China on Friday (Dec 15) proposed a four-tier classification to help it respond to data security incidents, highlighting Beijing’s concern with large-scale data leaks and hacking within its borders. The plan comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions with the United States and its allies and follows an incident last yearContinue Reading

China shows off homegrown C919 jet in Hong Kong

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China has invested heavily in the homegrown jetliner as it seeks to become self-sufficient in key technologies, but many of the C919’s parts are sourced from overseas. The jet received official certification to fly last year after more than a decade in development but has yet to secure any internationalContinue Reading

Toxic air divides Delhi between poverty and privilege

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NEW DELHI: According to experts, the poorest people in India’s harmful, smog-filled capital, which includes the air people breathe, are the hardest hit by climate change. 39-year-old Rizwan rides a rickshaw tricycle through congested streets that are frequently too narrow for cars in Old Delhi, the historic center of theContinue Reading