Amid a recent flare-up of online debate,Xiaomi founder,chairman and CEO Lei Jun posted social media messages on Sunday,reiterating the company's vehicle-safety philosophy,in an effort to push back against what he said were"misinterpretations"of his earlier comments about scrutiny of the safety records of Xiaomi cars.
For some time,online commentators in China have questioned Lei's April 2024 remarks that"design comes first"in making cars.In a response,Lei quoted his earlier posts on social media platform Weibo from late 2023 and early 2024 that emphasized Xiaomi's stringent safety standards,noting those posts demonstrate that his position on auto safety"has been consistent"all along.Lei questioned whether saying a car should"look good"is in any way at odds with calling auto safety"the foundation."
In reply to supportive comments by some netizens,he wrote that"many people online have taken my remarks out of context,distorted them,or tried to smear me."Again,Lei emphasized that"safety is the foundation"and that"safety should come above everything."
Although some netizens voiced support for Lei and expressed confidence in Xiaomi's safety records,sceptical comments and disapprovals have popped up.
One Weibo user wrote that while he agreed that safety should come first,he hoped to see the findings of investigations into tragic crashes involving three college students and another accident in Chengdu involving Xiaomi-made cars.
On October 13,2025,Lei reposted entries from a Xiaomi YU7 owner photography contest on Weibo,writing that"the Pamir Plateau is stunning—I also took a few landscape shots with the Xiaomi YU7."
Lei's post came about six hours after a Xiaomi SU7 Ultra car was involved in a severe crash and fire on Chengdu's Tianfu Avenue in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.According to local media reports,several people joined the rescue effort,with four individuals attempting to break the car's doors and windows,but they were unable to open them.The vehicle was later consumed by flames and the driver was killed,according to Chengdu police.
On March 29 this year,in Tongling,East China's Anhui Province,a Xiaomi SU7 car burst into flames after a high-speed collision with another vehicle,killing all three college students in the car.The police investigation into the crash has yet to release its findings.
