Xiaomi founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun held the first live broadcast of 2026 this week. In the broadcast, Xiaomi CEO invited company engineers to tear down the company’s Tesla rival — Xiaomi YU7 — on camera. Xiaomi’s electric SUV YU7 launched in June 2025, and is the company’s second mainstream electric vehicle after the SU7. The livestream, which lasted four to five hours, was reportedly presented as response to online discussions and viral criticism regarding Xiaomi’s vehicles.
Xiaomi CEO Jun dismantled the Xiaomi YU7 vehicle to address public scrutiny and showcase the car’s build quality. The roughly five-hour broadcast is said to have drawn widespread attention from Chinese viewers. According to a report in Carsnewschina, “These included misquotes about the YU7’s range, viral clips suggesting “200 km/h instant braking,” videos of wheels detaching during collisions, small-font marketing disclaimers, and manipulated social media content such as the so-called “green belt incident.”
Other points included a false rumor that Xiaomi restricted farmers from selling its products and questions about the YU7’s build quality as the company’s second mainstream EV. Lei Jun clarified each point, explained the engineering rationale behind design choices, and encouraged fair, fact-based reviews.”
Engineers carried out a live teardown of a green Xiaomi YU7 standard model that rolled off the production line in December 2025. During the teardown, engineers dismantled the vehicle step by step to its bare body shell. The process began with the removal of the four doors and two hoods, followed by the interior and exterior components, the chassis and electric drivetrain, and then the front compartment, thermal management system, instrument panel and wiring harness.
It offered a detailed view of key structures, including the Xiaomi YU7’s integrated die-cast body, door side-impact beams and the layout of its electric powertrain.
Why Xiaomi decided to livestream YU7 teardown
Lei said that Xiaomi had previously decided to respond to the controversy, believing that strong products would speak for themselves. However, following growing feedback from users, the company has decided to respond more directly and promptly to concerns. Lei also welcomed independent reviewers to conduct their own teardowns of Xiaomi vehicles, calling for fair and objective assessments and not to go into exaggerated criticism aimed at generating online traffic. There have been safety concerns raised about YU7’s doors. Responding to these, Xiaomi engineers said that the YU7 uses mechanical pull cables for both interior and exterior handles. They added that in extreme collisions, even if both the main and auxiliary batteries fail, a dedicated backup power source allows the door locks to switch to independent power and mechanical control. The doors can still be opened mechanically from outside, while the interior handles remain operable at all times.
