Chinese EV players surprised by Apple’s decision to cancel car project, with Xiaomi CEO Lei saying he remains committed

Lei Jun, founder and chairman of leading Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, which unveiled its first car late last year, said in a Weibo post on Wednesday that he was “very shocked” by Apple’s withdrawal from the EV sector.

The tech billionaire, who has long tried to cultivate his image as the country’s answer to Apple founder Steve Jobs, said he “knows deeply how difficult it is to make cars”, but added that Xiaomi has made an “unshakeable strategic choice” and remains committed to building EVs.

The SU7 will go through a few more months of testing before eventually hitting the market, Xiaomi previously said at the time.

News emerged on Tuesday that Apple was winding down Project Titan, its decade-long effort to build an autonomous EV, to shift resources to new businesses that take priority.

Li Xiang, CEO of Beijing-based EV maker Li Auto, said Apple’s decision is “absolutely right”.

“AI will become the top-level entrance for all devices, services, applications and transactions, in which Apple should stay on top,” he wrote on Weibo.

In recent years, Chinese brands have established a growing presence in the EV field, with Shenzhen-based BYD overtaking Elon Musk’s Tesla as the world’s top EV manufacturer last quarter.

In a Weibo post on Wednesday, He Xiaopeng, chairman of Guangdong-based carmaker Xpeng, also expressed disbelief that Apple is bowing out of the EV sector, even though he expects intense competition in the industry this year, when most newcomers are set to launch their products.

Xpeng plans to hire 4,000 new workers this year, as it puts flesh on the bones of a blueprint to roll out 30 new models over the next three years.