Xiaomi has taken its first concrete step towards selling cars outside China. At the IFA Berlin 2026 consumer electronics show, the company signed memoranda of understanding with eight German dealer groups, confirming that its official European market entry will happen in 2027, starting with Germany before expanding to other markets on the continent.
The eight groups are Ernst Dello, Autohaus Dinnebier, Emil Frey Germany, Fett & Wirtz Automobile, Hahn Automobile, LUEG Mobility, Penske-Jacobs Innovation and SPT Avior – established names in German automotive retail, with Emil Frey being one of Europe’s largest dealer groups. The MOUs are non-binding for now, and Xiaomi has yet to disclose which models will be sold, local pricing, store counts or sales territories.
“Xiaomi Auto is committed to long-term investment in Europe,” said Yu Liguo, Xiaomi vice president and head of its international business, adding that local partnerships are central to the company’s expansion strategy. The carmaker already has an R&D centre in Munich, and it launched its global automotive website and international social media channels in late August.
The obvious candidates for export are the SU7 sedan – which has racked up over 500,000 deliveries in China since its launch – and the YU7 SUV, which famously logged 240,000 locked-in orders within 18 hours of going on sale.
Also in the stable are the SkyNomad N70 and N90, extended-range electric SUVs that would sidestep Europe’s patchy charging coverage outside the big cities. In total, Xiaomi has delivered more than 700,000 cars in China to date.
Dealers, not direct sales – and what that means for Malaysia
Perhaps the most interesting takeaway isn’t the where, but the how. In China, Xiaomi’s retail network is a hybrid – it runs its own stores and delivery centres in major cities, supplemented by authorised dealer partners operating on an agency basis, with ordering and pricing controlled centrally by Xiaomi. For its first export market, however, it has gone straight to established franchised dealer groups – suggesting that Xiaomi is happy to lean on third-party retail partners abroad rather than building a capital-heavy, Tesla-style company-owned network in every new country it enters.
Which brings us to our shores. Back in July, we spotted a Xiaomi job listing on LinkedIn for a government relations manager (automotive) based in Greater Kuala Lumpur – a role that involves dealing with MIDA, MITI, MARii and customs on tax incentives, and advising on “CKD & CBU market operations”.
Group president William Lu has said Xiaomi will begin its global EV expansion by 2027, and with Europe now formally pencilled in for that year and groundwork seemingly being laid here, Malaysia may not be far behind.
Nice, not direct sales MLM overnight skim cepat kaya
for those of you who were educated in skolah tawfix pondok school, xiaomi translated means “large grain of rice”
and yet again you got the translation wrong. congratulations!
sorry my bad , i rechecked and the actual translation is – “small grain of salt”