Every reporter Dong Tianyi and every editor Pei Jianru
Due to the high "rice content", the ripples caused by the press conference of Zhiji Automobile have not yet dissipated.
On the evening of April 8, Zhiji Automobile held a technical conference, and the protagonist was Zhiji L6. Previously, this new car has earned enough attention in the industry with the marketing label of "ultra-fast charging solid-state battery for the first time in mass production".
At the press conference, Liu Tao, co-CEO of Zhiji Automobile, "deeply bound" the Zhiji L6 with the Xiaomi SU7. In the eyes of the outside world, on the one hand, this is because the positioning of the two models is close, and on the other hand, the brand wants to let Zhiji L6 get higher traffic and topic with the help of Xiaomi SU7.
Image source: Zhiji Auto's WeChat public account
"In the past few days, the smart electric vehicle market has become more popular than ever because of Mr. Lei (referring to Lei Jun, the founder, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi Group), because Mr. Lei has clearly used SU7 PK at the press conference to drop the Model 3, so we are not better than the Model 3 today, let's take a look directly at the strength comparison between L6 and SU7. Although it is "bound" to the topic model Xiaomi SU7, Liu Tao still emphasized that in the era of "short, flat and fast" where traffic is king, traffic is very important, but technological innovation is the real long-termism.
For the intelligent configuration, Liu Tao said, "Not long ago, in fact, we also saw some smart tricks, flashlights, mobile phone holders, external speaker seats, external atmosphere lights, can really be described as dazzling, I and the team admire the imagination of friends very much." And the above accessories are all products just released by Xiaomi Automobile.
When introducing intelligent driving, Liu Tao said: "I calculated, we probably still spent nearly 6 minutes to make an introduction to intelligent driving, at this time, if we compare the Xiaomi SU7 press conference, Mr. Lei finished talking about intelligent driving in 1 minute." Sometimes I sigh that Lei is always efficient. After speaking, Liu Tao bowed lightly to the audience.
In the product introduction stage, Liu Tao "imitated" Lei Jun's "data benchmarking" method, and compared the battery capacity, battery energy density, peak motor voltage, and maximum power of the Xiaomi SU7 Max version and the Zhiji L6 super performance version. "We see that SU7 has put a lot of effort into the 'three electrics' (i.e., power battery, drive motor, and electronic control system), and the 800V level of SU7's 800V platform and Zhiji platform is very close. Liu Tao said.
However, when introducing the electric drive system, Liu Tao said that the Zhiji L6 super performance version uses the front and rear dual SiC (silicon carbide) electric drive, while the Xiaomi SU7 Max uses the front IGBT and rear SiC module electric drive, which is not consistent with Xiaomi's official publicity.
Image source: Screenshot of the live broadcast of Zhiji's press conference
Although Liu Tao apologized and clarified through his personal social platform after the press conference, saying that the above mistake was "due to the wrong research results of product information". However, a spokesman for Xiaomi, who is verified as "Xiaomi Technology Co., Ltd." on Weibo, still posted three Weibo posts in a row from the evening of April 8 to the early morning of April 9 and said: "We do not accept informal apologies from individuals who understate it." Once again, we urge Zhiji to immediately make a public clarification and formally apologize to the public who have been misled by it!"
Image source: Sina Weibo (@小米公司发言人)
In the content released in the early morning of April 9, a spokesperson for Xiaomi said, "There is a limit to our tolerance for Zhiji's recent repeated harassment and smearing." We firmly believe that such an unreasonable, illegal and undignified behavior of Zhiji Company is completely inconsistent with SAIC's corporate culture, values and industry status, nor is it in line with the historical trend of the unity and development of China's new energy vehicles."
Image source: Sina Weibo (@小米公司发言人)
Subsequently, Zhiji Auto issued an apology letter through Weibo in the early morning of April 9 and @Xiaomi spokesperson. According to the apology letter, in the just-concluded "Beyond All Yearning" Zhiji L6 super smart car press conference, in the process of introducing the Xiaomi's SU7 product power, which has been hotly discussed in the same level of traffic recently, due to the team's negligence in content review, a key parameter was incorrectly labeled.
"The front and rear motors of the Xiaomi SU7 Max Edition use SiC silicon carbide modules, which are consistent with the technology used in the Zhiji L6 and are the industry's top technical standards. We apologize for the negative impact on Xiaomi Auto due to the negligence of the internal audit, and sincerely apologize to all fans and users! Zhiji Auto said in a letter of apology.
Image source: Sina Weibo (@IM Zhiji Auto)
In fact, Liu Tao mentioned Xiaomi cars many times before the launch of the Zhiji L6. On April 6, Liu Tao said through his personal Weibo: "The speed of Xiaomi cars is indeed fast, three years from the platform to start the first vehicle, from the original platform to do research and development, such a complex vehicle and parts test and verification plan, according to the rhythm of the research and development test of large manufacturers, it is difficult to complete without 4~5 years, Internet companies can be so efficient and high-speed to achieve, there is indeed a feeling of 'fast trot, my heart is surging'." ”
Image source: Sina Weibo (@IM Zhiji Liu Tao)
FF founder Jia Yueting also said through his personal social platform that Xiaomi's execution and marketing ability to make cars are certainly worthy of praise, but the copycat culture, shortcut mode and follower thinking are regarded by many people as a guideline, which is worrying. Jia Yueting also said that values determine the ceiling, and benchmarking, plagiarism and shallow innovation cannot bring about fundamental technological change and basic scientific and technological transcendence.
Liu Tao also said at the launch conference of Zhiji L6: "Zhiji Auto has always insisted that technological innovation is the core driving force for the progress of the times. ”
Regarding this incident, some netizens said in the comment area below, "This time I will stand Xiaomi" and "Zhiji knows how to rub traffic and support Xiaomi". But some netizens ridiculed, "Porsche didn't sue you", "I can touch others, but others can't touch me", "Xiaomi doesn't also harass Tesla and Porsche again and again".
Image source: Sina Weibo
It is worth mentioning that the appearance design and wheel shape of Xiaomi SU7 have been questioned by the outside world as having traces of "plagiarism". For example, some netizens questioned that the side lines and steering wheel shape of the Xiaomi SU7 are similar to those of the Porsche Taycan, the shape of the headlight cluster is similar to that of the McLaren 720S, the design language of the rear taillights is similar to that of Aston Martin, and the style of the 20-inch "plum wheels" is similar to that of the Lamborghini Aventador LP700.
Image source: Sina Weibo (@陈震同学)
Image source: Sina Weibo (@陈震同学)
Regarding the Zhiji L6 press conference on April 8, Zhiji Auto's official Weibo posted again on the afternoon of April 9, apologizing to Xiaomi Auto. "In the process of the Zhiji L6 press conference on April 8, there was a mislabeling of Xiaomi SU7 parameters, and I sincerely apologize again. Here, we still want to sincerely explain that Zhiji Automobile subjectively did not have the intention of deliberately smearing in this incident. Zhiji Automobile said.
Image source: Sina Weibo (@IM Zhiji Auto)
Zhiji Auto also said in the apology letter, "We really have no intention of deliberately smearing subjectively, and we have no intention or ability to challenge the sky-high traffic of Xiaomi Auto."
At the same time, Zhiji Auto explained the cause and effect of the entire incident. "Regrettably, in three official responses, Xiaomi's spokesperson used hurtful moral derogatory terms such as 'deliberately spreading rumors, smearing, harassment, and indecency', and the rhetoric escalated violently to denying the corporate culture and values of the Zhiji brand and its parent company, SAIC. I implore Xiaomi to be merciful. Zhiji Automobile said.
As of the close of trading on April 9, Xiaomi Group-W (01810.HK) closed at HK$15.980, an increase of 3.097%.