SHANGHAI: Xiaomi Corp (1810.HK) is currently testing 140 self-driving cars in China, Chief Executive Lei Jun said on Thursday.
The news marks the latest benchmark for the smartphone maker, which last year announced it would enter the competitive electric vehicle space and challenge established brands and young tech companies.
Lei Jun said in a livestreamed company event that the company has 500 employees dedicated to developing self-driving technology for its upcoming cars and has invested 3.3 billion yuan ($490 million) in the program.
At the event, Lei Jun also showed off a humanoid robot called CyberOne, which weighs 52 kilograms and stands 177 centimeters tall, but is not yet ready for mass production.
Many other Chinese companies are also investing in self-driving technology, including ride-hailing giant Didi Global and search engine provider Baidu.
Earlier this week, the latter became the first company in China to receive a license to operate fully autonomous taxis on open roads. read more
Lei Jun co-founded Xiaomi in 2010 and quickly built it into one of the best-selling Android smartphone brands in China and the world.
In 2021, Lei Jun announced that Xiaomi would enter the electric vehicle market, which he said was his last major entrepreneurial attempt.
The company has committed to mass production of its vehicles in the first half of 2024. Earlier this year, the company began construction of its first car factory in Beijing.
