&w=3840&q=100)
Gen Z defies 'sober generation' label, alcohol consumption picking up
The study surveyed more than 26,000 people across 15 global markets, including India. It highlights that Gen Z legal drinking age (LDA+) consumers are now engaging with alcohol at rates approaching those of older generations. It found that the proportion of Gen Z adults who reported consuming alcohol in the past six months rose from 66 per cent in March 2023 to 73 per cent in March 2025.
While still slightly below the 78 per cent participation rate of all adults, Gen Z's consumption behaviour now mirrors that of previous generations more closely than before. India, in particular, stands out as a key market, where younger drinkers are not only participating but also influencing the wider industry with their preferences.
But why were they drinking 'less'?
Richard Halstead, Chief Operating Officer of Consumer Insights at IWSR, said that the less drinking could have been due to the 'cost-of-living' crisis.
'We know that beverage alcohol consumption correlates with disposable income, and Gen Z came of age during a cost-of-living crisis. Rising prices have been especially acute in bars and restaurants – places that appeal most to Gen Z drinkers,' Halstead.
'With every year that passes, more Gen Z consumers are entering the workforce, and those already in the workforce are typically earning more. I think we should expect that, as their incomes rise, they will drink more often – just as millennials did before them,' he said.
India bucks global alcohol slowdown
While much of the global alcohol industry faces cyclical declines, India remains one of the few bright spots, with Gen Z playing a significant role.
'India remains the only market with all three indicators – consumer sentiment, recalled volume and recalled spend – in positive territory, as upper-middle-class consumers continue to drink and spend more,' Halstead said.
'The clearest signs of robust growth come from India and Brazil: India is continuing to power ahead, with that momentum set to continue and younger drinkers to the fore,' the survey mentioned.
Cyclical dip, not structural decline
It further suggests that the current downturn in consumption is temporary rather than permanent — and that generational change is not to blame. 'According to this evidence, much of the recent decline is cyclical, not structural – and is definitely not the 'fault' of Gen Z,' Halstead said.
The Bevtrac survey also highlights that Gen Z drinkers are more experimental in their approach to alcohol. On average, Gen Z drinkers consumed over five beverage categories in the past six months, compared to just over four among Boomers. They are also more likely to favour spirits and visit bars, restaurants or clubs for their last drinking occasion.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Workspace evolution: Gen Z inspires new office design trends
One thing we'd never give up as an organisation is a physical space, a place where real, in-person connections can continue to thrive as we work," says Advait Gupt, co-founder and CEO of Mumbai-based Kulfi Collective, a creative network that produces branded and original IPs for Gen Y and Z audiences. On the cusp of a seismic shift in work culture, various generations are coexisting under a single roof. Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012, is perceivably more vocal about personal growth in a professional setting. As the younger generation steps out to work post pandemic, their non-negotiable ideal of a healthy workplace is causing high attrition and employers are struggling to keep up. The JLL India Future of Work Survey 2024 revealed that in India, 90% of companies now require at least three days of office presence. In this era of conflicting sensibilities, a reimagination of the brick-and-mortar office is helping bridge gaps and retain the love for the workplace. 'A physical intervention can't always be as impactful as a good chat with your team. Real work is built in conversations, not confinements," says Ayushi Jain, a 20-something visual designer from Delhi. But 39-year-old Gupt is one of the many employers of his generation who believe that if designed thoughtfully, a workplace can embody and cultivate these values that younger professionals believe in. His creative agency was founded in 2012 and recently got a redesign at its address in Mumbai's Nehru Centre. When designing the space (later named Kulfiverse) he and his team capitalised on its circular structure to inspire borderless communication and the transparent culture of collaboration. Changing Times The asset is the same: space. How people invest in it is up for a reinvention. 'For a typical professional, an eight-hour workday is often bookended by the need to manage meals, commute, fitness and chores. By having such services in the office, we're freed to focus completely on our work and preserve valuable personal time for hobbies and relaxation outside," says Ashutosh Chauhan, a Hyderabad-based application engineer working at Google India. The MNC has been pushing the bill on creative workplace design for years, with amenities like themed meeting rooms named after animated TV series, food setups, gyms, etc. More corporations are considering such inclusions. Aayush Golecha and Kushaal Jhaveri, co-founders of Mumbai-based architecture and interior design firm The Comma Collective, concur: 'Earlier, the corporate design brief was consistent: maintain efficiency while fitting as many people as possible with the bare essentials. Post covid, founders want sleeping pods, TT tables and wellness rooms." The demand for a more connected and growth-oriented organisation is also evident among Gen Z employees, who place more value on output over process. Such diversity cannot be nurtured without acknowledging factors like creative breaks, cerebral stimulation, sensory comfort, mental health, and productivity cycles. Architecture is thus becoming a way of incorporating these elements into daily culture. The New Blueprint Golecha focuses on thoughtful zoning, materiality and visual cues when designing. 'Modern workspaces must be adaptable and offer what remote setups can't—authentic connection, inspiration and a sense of community," he says. For instance, Google's open plan layout built on a no-cabin system inspires easy conversation across corporate hierarchies. Kulfiverse features breakout rooms and a community space with Lego sets to spark ideas. While brands are playing around with layout, there's still a long way to go for material tweaks. Many continue to demand traditional materials like marble and only as much colour as needed to reflect the brand's identity. However, surfaces like wood, ceramic and concrete balanced with soft textiles can feel warm, grounded and real—qualities that resonate deeply with the younger generation. While Gen Z is mindful of sustainability, designers foresee a considerable journey ahead for companies, mainly because of the initial investment it requires. These, along with visual and tactile cues, can stimulate creativity, break the stereotype around 'work desks" and tap into intuitive work cycles. 'Use materials that tell stories: upcycled tiles from a previous site, marble scraps turned into tables or graffiti walls that double up as memory archives. Design for movement and spontaneity through writable surfaces, modular zones and light that changes with mood," says Smita Thomas, founder of interior design studio Multitude of Sins. The Hurdle in Huddling Though easily definable, this collaborative experiment is a ropewalk of balance between monotony and overstimulation, creative provocation and mental restoration. Jain's field of work is the perfect example: 'My three essentials in a workspace are: a clean room; good lighting; and a solid sound system. If I create something bad, chances are the lighting was off or the music wasn't on." Space and budget constraints can often pose another challenge. But as per Thomas, 'The trick is to design layered zones that cater to different energies in a single space. In our office, Sin City, we made contemplative corners and outrageous installations coexist to our team's liking." Biophilic architecture is another element finding its way into offices, offsetting bold props with soothing greenery. It's a design approach that integrates nature into the built environment to enhance well-being. The new office is also integrating technologically-forward systems into the physical layout, personalising sanctuaries and blurring the gap between home and office. 'As digital natives, Gen Z employees are highly comfortable navigating virtual spaces for personal activities, expecting the same ease of use at work as they experience with apps for online shopping or social media," Gupt shares. While covid initially led teams to experiment with socio-professional communities like Slack, the post-covid headquarters is welcoming physical infrastructure for a hybrid lifestyle. If there's anything this metamorphosis is teaching us, it's that moving forward should be about building on successes from the past. That means reimagining spatial existence to reinforce the personal connection we've always valued as humans. As Thomas puts it, 'The smartest companies we've worked with are the ones who aren't looking to emulate a trend, but asking the right questions: What drives our people? What kind of energy do we want to cultivate?" And that's when new perceptions of the young begin to matter, improving the very blueprint of how we think, feel and act. Ria Gupta is a travel and design writer. Follow her work @ria_gupta. Write to us at lounge@
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Xiaomi succeeds where Apple failed as its new EV surpasses 289K orders
By Linda Lew Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi Corp., the only tech company to have successfully diversified into carmaking, couldn't resist. Speaking at a triumphant launch event in Beijing late last month for Xiaomi's second electric vehicle, a long-anticipated SUV, Lei pointedly mentioned Apple Inc., which spent a decade and $10 billion trying to make a car before giving up last year. 'Since Apple stopped developing its car, we've given special care to Apple users,' he said, noting that owners of the American giant's iPhones would be able to seamlessly sync their devices to Xiaomi's vehicles. Xiaomi succeeding where Apple failed has burnished Lei's reputation, made his company one of the most valuable in China and shaken up both the tech and automobile industries. The collapse of Apple's moonshot car program has only underscored the effectiveness of Xiaomi's grounded approach, which took inspiration from proven designs from Tesla Inc. and Porsche Automobil Holding SE while staying true to the affordable ethos that's made it a cult brand for Gen Z consumers. Crucially, it also launched into the most fertile EV ecosystem in the world — China. With state subsidies, existing charging infrastructure and a ready made supply chain, Xiaomi had a structural tailwind Apple lacked. Xiaomi declined to comment for this story. Lei and Xiaomi's 'charisma, brand recognition and ecosystem cannot be underestimated,' Yale Zhang, the managing director of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight, said. 'It's a big influence on young consumers who have filled their homes with Xiaomi products. When it comes time to buy an EV, they naturally think of Xiaomi.' But building cars is a far more complex, capital intensive challenge than making phones or rice cookers. It requires mastering safety regulations, global logistics and production at scale, all while competing against legacy automakers with long histories and large model lineups. Any international expansion will also require navigating complex geopolitical landscapes. As one of the first tech giants to actually manufacture a car, Xiaomi is in uncharted territory. Apple's Failings Apple's car project, internally dubbed Project Titan, failed in large part because it wasn't just an EV — it was at one point an attempt to leapfrog the auto industry with a fully autonomous, Level 5 self-driving machine. Its goals were lofty and the direction constantly shifting, the result being over a decade of effort with nothing to show. Lei, 55, was comparatively stingy with time and resources and staked his personal reputation on the endeavor, claiming that making cars would be his 'last entrepreneurial project.' Xiaomi's public narrative is that Lei and his team learned by visiting multiple Chinese automakers, including Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. and Great Wall Motor Co., and talked to more than 200 industry experts in some 80 meetings. The reality is also that he used Xiaomi's reputation as an innovative consumer behemoth to get close to China's large carmakers and pick off their top talent. Geely and its billionaire founder Li Shufu welcomed Lei to the automaker's research institute in Ningbo in the months leading up to Xiaomi's announcement that it would enter the car business to discuss topics, including potential collaboration. It's Geely lore that Lei added the WeChat contacts of many staff at the institute, including then-director Hu Zhengnan. Hu later joined Shunwei Capital Partners, the investment firm co-founded by Lei. Recruitment Tactics Xiaomi headhunters also courted Geely staff intensely, according to people familiar with the matter. While it's common for talent to move between companies in the same industry, it was unusual to see this level of aggressiveness around recruitment, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing information that's private. Geely didn't respond to a request for comment. Hu, known for his love of the German luxury marque Porsche, was one of the team members credited as being instrumental to developing Xiaomi's EV business, Lei said at the SU7 launch in 2024. Lei added that Hu left his previous employer after his contract ended. Other executives who joined Xiaomi came from companies including BAIC Motor Corp., BMW AG, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. — the General Motors Co. joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp. and Wuling Motors Holdings Ltd. — and auto supplier Magna Steyr LLC. Besides assembling top Chinese automaking talent, Lei made a prescient bet on investing in a self-controlled supply chain — insulating Xiaomi's operation from manufacturing vagaries. This came from painful lessons learned in Xiaomi's early smartphone-producing days, when external suppliers would cut off components unpredictably. In 2016, some members of Xiaomi's supply chain team displeased Samsung Electronics Co. representatives and the South Korean firm threatened to halt supply of its industry-leading AMOLED screens. To mend the fractured relationship, Lei flew to Shenzhen to meet with Samsung's China head at the time. The pair drank five bottles of red wine during their dinner meeting, according to a Xiaomi company biography, and Lei also made multiple trips to Samsung's headquarters in South Korea to apologize and negotiate the resumption of supply. Representatives from Samsung declined to comment. After Xiaomi went into the carmaking business, it invested into almost all parts of the EV supply chain, from batteries and chips to air suspension and sensors. It pumped more than $1.6 billion via Shunwei or other Xiaomi-led funds into over 100 supply chain companies between 2021 and 2024, according to data compiled by Chinese analytics firm Zhangtongshe and Bloomberg. The components from some of the companies that Xiaomi invested in have ended up in its cars, such as lidars from Hesai Technology Co. and onboard chargers and voltage converters from Zhejiang EV-Tech Co. With the 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) it committed to the first phase of its EV venture, Xiaomi also built its own factory, rather than going down the contract manufacturing route that some Chinese makers, including Nio Inc. and Xpeng Inc., did when they started out. 'Among tech companies that now build electric vehicles, those who previously had hardware products seem to be more successful than those who only had software products or information services,' said Paul Gong, UBS Group AG's head of China autos research. Copycat Allegations Despite its early success, there are many who argue Xiaomi's one hit car is copied from elsewhere — and that a sole successful vehicle does not a successful auto producer make. Lei's aggressive approach has also raised hackles in China's car industry. Yu Jingmin, vice president of SAIC's passenger car division, reportedly described Xiaomi's approach as 'shameless' in a critique of the SU7 resembling Porsche. The SU7 has been colloquially dubbed 'Porsche Mi' by netizens. SAIC didn't respond to questions about Yu's remarks. Xiaomi's design team, led by former BMW designer Li Tianyuan, has defended the SU7's aesthetics, emphasizing that the choices were driven by aerodynamic efficiency and performance benchmarks. In late March, there was another setback after a fatal accident involving the SU7. The car had its advanced driver assistance technology turned on before the crash, which afterward led to authorities reining in the promotion and deployment of the technology. The usually vocal Lei kept a low profile on social media for more than a month post the March accident. He returned to more active engagement in May with a missive that said this period of time was the most difficult in his career. Fortunately for Xiaomi, its consumer base is sticky. Known as 'Mi Fans,' the loyal customers have played a pivotal role in the company's rise. Xiaomi cultivated this fandom early on by prioritizing user feedback and the grassroots allegiance has helped it build strong brand equity, especially in China. The SU7 has remained a top selling model even after the accident in March. Indeed, dealers have reported that nearly 50 per cent of customers plump for the SU7 without comparing it to other brands. 'A significant number of older consumers are buying the SU7 for their children, indicating that the model has built trust among more conservative buyers thanks to its safety and quality,' said Rosalie Chen, a senior analyst from investment research firm Third Bridge. Small Scale Xiaomi has set a delivery target of 350,000 units in 2025, up from its previous goal of 300,000, buoyed by demand for the newly launched YU7 and a ramp up in production. The starting prices for the SU7 sedan, at 215,900 yuan ($30,100), and its SUV, at 253,500 yuan, make them competitive alternatives to models like Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y. The EVs are also showing financial promise. Xiaomi posted record revenue for the first quarter this year, driven by car and smartphone sales. Its EV division is expected to turn profitable in the second half of 2025, Lei said in an investor meeting in June. But even if the popularity of Xiaomi's EVs can spring beyond the company's devoted base, production is still on a much more boutique scale. China's top car brand, BYD Co., sold around 4.3 million EVs and hybrids last year, many overseas, while Tesla moved about 1.78 million vehicles globally. Toyota Motor Corp., the world's No. 1 automaker, sold some 10.8 million vehicles and boasts a lineup of approximately 70 different models. Lei doesn't seem to be prioritizing the mass market of below $20,000 yet, which drives significant volume and is where BYD dominates, Automotive Foresight's Zhang said. Without a lineup in that segment, Xiaomi cars will remain niche purchases for middle to higher-income consumers and Xiaomi may face the same risks as Tesla, which is seeing its sales slump exacerbated by a narrow consumer base and limited models. Nonetheless, Lei seems buoyed by Xiaomi's early wins and is now looking at global expansion. Xiaomi will consider selling cars outside China from 2027, he said last week. Success or otherwise, the European Union, the US and Turkey have all slapped tariffs on Chinese EVs, but Xiaomi wants to set up a R&D center in Munich and may test sales starting in European markets such as Germany, Spain and France when the time is right, Chinese media 36Kr reported in April. 'Xiaomi is a latecomer to the auto industry,' Lei admitted on Weibo in June. But, he said, in a market driven by technology and innovation and the rising global influence of China's EV culture, 'there are always opportunities for latecomers.'
Mint
5 hours ago
- Mint
Xiaomi Founder's Bold EV Bet Is Paying Off Where Apple's Failed
(Bloomberg) -- Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi Corp., the only tech company to have successfully diversified into carmaking, couldn't resist. Speaking at a triumphant launch event in Beijing late last month for Xiaomi's second electric vehicle, a long-anticipated SUV, Lei pointedly mentioned Apple Inc., which spent a decade and $10 billion trying to make a car before giving up last year. 'Since Apple stopped developing its car, we've given special care to Apple users,' he said, noting that owners of the American giant's iPhones would be able to seamlessly sync their devices to Xiaomi's vehicles. The not-so-subtle dig was followed by a flex: Xiaomi then said it had received more than 289,000 orders for its new sport utility vehicle within an hour of its announcement, more than its first EV, a sedan launched in March 2024. Xiaomi succeeding where Apple failed has burnished Lei's reputation, made his company one of the most valuable in China and shaken up both the tech and automobile industries. The collapse of Apple's moonshot car program has only underscored the effectiveness of Xiaomi's grounded approach, which took inspiration from proven designs from Tesla Inc. and Porsche Automobil Holding SE while staying true to the affordable ethos that's made it a cult brand for Gen Z consumers. Crucially, it also launched into the most fertile EV ecosystem in the world — China. With state subsidies, existing charging infrastructure and a ready made supply chain, Xiaomi had a structural tailwind Apple lacked. Xiaomi declined to comment for this story. Lei and Xiaomi's 'charisma, brand recognition and ecosystem cannot be underestimated,' Yale Zhang, the managing director of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight, said. 'It's a big influence on young consumers who have filled their homes with Xiaomi products. When it comes time to buy an EV, they naturally think of Xiaomi.' But building cars is a far more complex, capital intensive challenge than making phones or rice cookers. It requires mastering safety regulations, global logistics and production at scale, all while competing against legacy automakers with long histories and large model lineups. Any international expansion will also require navigating complex geopolitical landscapes. As one of the first tech giants to actually manufacture a car, Xiaomi is in uncharted territory. Apple's car project, internally dubbed Project Titan, failed in large part because it wasn't just an EV — it was at one point an attempt to leapfrog the auto industry with a fully autonomous, Level 5 self-driving machine. Its goals were lofty and the direction constantly shifting, the result being over a decade of effort with nothing to show. Lei, 55, was comparatively stingy with time and resources and staked his personal reputation on the endeavor, claiming that making cars would be his 'last entrepreneurial project.' Xiaomi's public narrative is that Lei and his team learned by visiting multiple Chinese automakers, including Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. and Great Wall Motor Co., and talked to more than 200 industry experts in some 80 meetings. The reality is also that he used Xiaomi's reputation as an innovative consumer behemoth to get close to China's large carmakers and pick off their top talent. Geely and its billionaire founder Li Shufu welcomed Lei to the automaker's research institute in Ningbo in the months leading up to Xiaomi's announcement that it would enter the car business to discuss topics, including potential collaboration. It's Geely lore that Lei added the WeChat contacts of many staff at the institute, including then-director Hu Zhengnan. Hu later joined Shunwei Capital Partners, the investment firm co-founded by Lei. Xiaomi headhunters also courted Geely staff intensely, according to people familiar with the matter. While it's common for talent to move between companies in the same industry, it was unusual to see this level of aggressiveness around recruitment, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing information that's private. Geely didn't respond to a request for comment. Hu, known for his love of the German luxury marque Porsche, was one of the team members credited as being instrumental to developing Xiaomi's EV business, Lei said at the SU7 launch in 2024. Lei added that Hu left his previous employer after his contract ended. Other executives who joined Xiaomi came from companies including BAIC Motor Corp., BMW AG, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. — the General Motors Co. joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp. and Wuling Motors Holdings Ltd. — and auto supplier Magna Steyr LLC. Besides assembling top Chinese automaking talent, Lei made a prescient bet on investing in a self-controlled supply chain — insulating Xiaomi's operation from manufacturing vagaries. This came from painful lessons learned in Xiaomi's early smartphone-producing days, when external suppliers would cut off components unpredictably. In 2016, some members of Xiaomi's supply chain team displeased Samsung Electronics Co. representatives and the South Korean firm threatened to halt supply of its industry-leading AMOLED screens. To mend the fractured relationship, Lei flew to Shenzhen to meet with Samsung's China head at the time. The pair drank five bottles of red wine during their dinner meeting, according to a Xiaomi company biography, and Lei also made multiple trips to Samsung's headquarters in South Korea to apologize and negotiate the resumption of supply. Representatives from Samsung declined to comment. After Xiaomi went into the carmaking business, it invested into almost all parts of the EV supply chain, from batteries and chips to air suspension and sensors. It pumped more than $1.6 billion via Shunwei or other Xiaomi-led funds into over 100 supply chain companies between 2021 and 2024, according to data compiled by Chinese analytics firm Zhangtongshe and Bloomberg. The components from some of the companies that Xiaomi invested in have ended up in its cars, such as lidars from Hesai Technology Co. and onboard chargers and voltage converters from Zhejiang EV-Tech Co. With the 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) it committed to the first phase of its EV venture, Xiaomi also built its own factory, rather than going down the contract manufacturing route that some Chinese makers, including Nio Inc. and Xpeng Inc., did when they started out. 'Among tech companies that now build electric vehicles, those who previously had hardware products seem to be more successful than those who only had software products or information services,' said Paul Gong, UBS Group AG's head of China autos research. Despite its early success, there are many who argue Xiaomi's one hit car is copied from elsewhere — and that a sole successful vehicle does not a successful auto producer make. Lei's aggressive approach has also raised hackles in China's car industry. Yu Jingmin, vice president of SAIC's passenger car division, reportedly described Xiaomi's approach as 'shameless' in a critique of the SU7 resembling Porsche. The SU7 has been colloquially dubbed 'Porsche Mi' by netizens. SAIC didn't respond to questions about Yu's remarks. Xiaomi's design team, led by former BMW designer Li Tianyuan, has defended the SU7's aesthetics, emphasizing that the choices were driven by aerodynamic efficiency and performance benchmarks. In late March, there was another setback after a fatal accident involving the SU7. The car had its advanced driver assistance technology turned on before the crash, which afterward led to authorities reining in the promotion and deployment of the technology. The usually vocal Lei kept a low profile on social media for more than a month post the March accident. He returned to more active engagement in May with a missive that said this period of time was the most difficult in his career. Fortunately for Xiaomi, its consumer base is sticky. Known as 'Mi Fans,' the loyal customers have played a pivotal role in the company's rise. Xiaomi cultivated this fandom early on by prioritizing user feedback and the grassroots allegiance has helped it build strong brand equity, especially in China. The SU7 has remained a top selling model even after the accident in March. Indeed, dealers have reported that nearly 50% of customers plump for the SU7 without comparing it to other brands. 'A significant number of older consumers are buying the SU7 for their children, indicating that the model has built trust among more conservative buyers thanks to its safety and quality,' said Rosalie Chen, a senior analyst from investment research firm Third Bridge. Xiaomi has set a delivery target of 350,000 units in 2025, up from its previous goal of 300,000, buoyed by demand for the newly launched YU7 and a ramp up in production. The starting prices for the SU7 sedan, at 215,900 yuan ($30,100), and its SUV, at 253,500 yuan, make them competitive alternatives to models like Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y. The EVs are also showing financial promise. Xiaomi posted record revenue for the first quarter this year, driven by car and smartphone sales. Its EV division is expected to turn profitable in the second half of 2025, Lei said in an investor meeting in June. But even if the popularity of Xiaomi's EVs can spring beyond the company's devoted base, production is still on a much more boutique scale. China's top car brand, BYD Co., sold around 4.3 million EVs and hybrids last year, many overseas, while Tesla moved about 1.78 million vehicles globally. Toyota Motor Corp., the world's No. 1 automaker, sold some 10.8 million vehicles and boasts a lineup of approximately 70 different models. Lei doesn't seem to be prioritizing the mass market of below $20,000 yet, which drives significant volume and is where BYD dominates, Automotive Foresight's Zhang said. Without a lineup in that segment, Xiaomi cars will remain niche purchases for middle to higher-income consumers and Xiaomi may face the same risks as Tesla, which is seeing its sales slump exacerbated by a narrow consumer base and limited models. Nonetheless, Lei seems buoyed by Xiaomi's early wins and is now looking at global expansion. Xiaomi will consider selling cars outside China from 2027, he said last week. Success or otherwise, the European Union, the US and Turkey have all slapped tariffs on Chinese EVs, but Xiaomi wants to set up a R&D center in Munich and may test sales starting in European markets such as Germany, Spain and France when the time is right, Chinese media 36Kr reported in April. 'Xiaomi is a latecomer to the auto industry,' Lei admitted on Weibo in June. But, he said, in a market driven by technology and innovation and the rising global influence of China's EV culture, 'there are always opportunities for latecomers.' --With assistance from Vlad Savov, Mark Gurman, Drake Bennett and Jessica Sui. More stories like this are available on
