Whether Zhimi Technology's "car-making" is hype or out of "interest" needs to be answered by founder Su Jun as soon as possible

Operator Finance Network Intern Yang Lin/Wen

Recently, the news about Zhimi Technology's start of car manufacturing has been heard endlessly, and in December 2021, the media revealed that Ma Yongdong, former head of GM's Pan-Asian Electric Vehicle Project, joined the company and was responsible for Zhimi's vehicle business. At the same time, many baic motor's electrical and electronic architecture personnel have also joined Zhimi in the near future. From smart home appliances to car building, I believe that there must be the help of Zhimi CEO Su Jun behind it, and he needs to answer. Moreover, the longer it drags on, the more unfavorable it is to the image of Zhimi Technology.

Su Jun was born in 1975, a native of Hebei, who has been interested in products since he was a child, and when he was in elementary school, he knew the logos of all the cars on the street, and he even designed his own cars and made up a few advertising words.

In 1993, Su Jun went to Nanjing University of Science and Technology to study industrial design as he wished, and graduated with a master's degree in Jiangnan University in 2000.

He has a lot of labels, entrepreneur, product owner, but first of all he is a teacher. Unlike many CEOs who have stayed abroad or have a resume in a large company, influenced by the principal's father and teacher's mother, Su Jun's initial life plan is also an academic route.

After graduation, Su Jun entered the Department of Industrial Design of North China University of Technology as a teacher. He began a 14-year teaching career, during which time he worked as a brand design director and took on a number of small projects.

In 2011, Su Jun obtained a doctorate degree in design art from the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University, and became the head of the department of design from the lecturer.

For ordinary people, being a leader in a college can immerse yourself in learning and enjoy life, which is the dream pursuit of many people. However, an opportunity completely changed Su Jun's life.

At the beginning of 2014, the co-founder of Xiaomi found his former peer Su Jun, described the Xiaomi ecological chain hope to do a big job in the emerging air purifier market, and invited Su Jun to resign from the teaching position and join the Xiaomi camp.

At that time, Su Jun was making creative small products for more than 80 yuan and selling them in the market. I also hated doing some work in college that had nothing to do with the product.

So it was not difficult to make this decision, because Su Jun always had a voice in his heart, he wanted to make more complex products, products that could be called industrial, not just creative small pieces. Su Jun considered calling Liu De three days later, decided to start a business, and paid a 140,000 liquidated damages to the school when he left.

In June 2014, Su Jun became the CEO of Xiaomi Ecological Chain Enterprise Zhimi Technology Co., Ltd., and began the journey of developing air purifiers. Whether it is product design and development, forming a team, or finding suppliers, etc., Su Jun has participated in everything in detail, working seven days a week, so that the entire research and development cycle of the first generation of air purifiers has only taken 9 months.

On December 8, 2014, the first product of Zhimi Technology, Xiaomi Purifier, was officially launched. It took only four months after its release to reach the top of several sales lists of its kind. In Zhimi's Series A financing, the company's valuation also reached 250 million US dollars.

The success of the first product has inspired Su Jun to invest in new product research and development, in 2018, Su Jun's research and development of Zhimi full DC inverter air conditioner, Zhimi intelligent toilet cover and other 5 products have won the German Red Dot Design Award, the American Industrial Design Award and so on.

Su Jun, who became CEO, still carries the shadow of a teacher, has the heart of a designer with aesthetic education, and then uses the habits of teachers to try to inspire the public.

In the Xiaomi air purifier project, he thought of more than just making a "good-looking" air purifier. He even imagined that if everyone was used to his air purifier, then other "ugly" home appliances could not be used, and the national aesthetic would be improved.

Nowadays, Zhimi Technology has completely relied on the Xiaomi ecological chain from the earliest to now establish its own domestic and international sales channels, and the brand is more independent.

Su Jun himself also has more ambitions, he hopes that on the basis of becoming the leader of the Xiaomi ecological chain, the brand influence will reach the leading level of the Xiaomi ecological chain.

However, Zhimi Technology has also recently caused controversy. Mainly on December 13, 2021, there are media reports that Zhimi Technology has joined the car-making army. The main basis is that Zhimi Technology has registered an automobile company in Beijing, and "Ma Yongdong, former head of GM's pan-Asian electric vehicle project, joined, and some BAIC electronic and electrical architects will also enter Zhimi", which was spread as a "car-making team".

In this regard, Zhimi Technology has been slow to explain and not respond, perhaps hoping that this matter can spread. But in fact, it has evolved into a question of its hype.

Wang Hua, general manager of the public relations department of Xiaomi Group, directly responded on his personal Weibo: Xiaomi does not have a two-line car planning. Xiaomi Group will not directly participate in the strategic decision-making of Xiaomi Ecological Chain Enterprise Zhimi Technology. Out of interest in researching electric vehicles, Zhimi has formed a small team to do very early work.

It is very strange, why can't Zhimi Technology and Su Jun respond on their own?

(Editor-in-Charge: Linghua Kang)