On Chinese social networks, Lei Jun did not hesitate to warmly congratulate Tesla for her progress in autonomous driving.
Who likes, chastises well? It is a bit of the impression that emerges by observing the behavior of Lei Jun, the boss of Xiaomi, vis-à-vis Tesla. With its order records, the launch of the Xiaomi Yu7 on June 26, 2025 was undoubtedly a blow for Tesla. During the vehicle presentation conference, the Tesla Model was clearly the competitor to beat.
But, as if to be forgiven, Lei Jun warmly congratulated the American manufacturer on Weibo two days later, about his innovations in terms of autonomous driving. A message that has not gone unnoticed with its 27 million followers. This time, it is not a spike, as in January, but a tribute to its competitor.
Lei Jun sincerely greets Tesla’s success
Like Elon Musk, Lei Jun speaks a lot on social networks. If the two men like to promote their successes on their favorite platform-X (ex-Twitter) for Elon Musk and Weibo or Douyin (Tiktok) for Lei Jun-, the comparison stops there. The boss of Xiaomi does not hesitate to regularly send positive messages for his competitors, to congratulate them on their successes.
Admittedly, the declarations made by Lei Jun sometimes blow hot and cold on Tesla. But the intention of the message of June 28, 2025 is no doubt: it is flattering for Tesla, since Lei Jun humbly greets the brand following the first autonomous delivery of a model to its owner: “ Tesla is really remarkable, at the forefront of sector trends in many areas, including FSD technology. We must still learn! »
The message responds to the publication of Tesla vice-president based in China, Grace Tao: ” For the first time in history, the vehicle was delivered on its own to its owner. There was no driver, no remote control, a maximum speed of 115 kilometers per hour, and he arrived safely on the doorstep of the client. Tesla, always going beyond imagination thanks to her disruptive innovations. An exciting new era. »
There is no doubt that the idea of delivering vehicles in autonomous driving directly from their exit from the production chain to the customer’s home, has something to inspire the Chinese business manager.
Another exchange with the boss of Xpeng who does not go unnoticed
Among the many orders placed to acquire a Xiaomi Yu7, there will necessarily be those of competing manufacturers wishing to test the vehicle and/or dismantle it to analyze this second model. We remember in particular Jim Farley who had ordered the SU7, and who does not hesitate to speak about it openly as he appreciates it.
On June 30, it was He Xiaopng, the founder of the Xpeng brand, who declared on Weibo that he had ordered a yu7: ” Congratulations on the excellent Xiaomi Yu7 performance released last week. I think that the key to the success of the YU7 lies in its high competitiveness, so I also ordered that evening. I wait for Mr. Lei to deliver it to me as soon as possible. »
The two leaders are close. He Xiaopng had already attended the launch of SU7 to encourage his friend and now fierce competitor. In response to this message, Lei Jun responded to He Xiaopng by thanking him for his support, and wishing a great success at the launching conference of the Xpeng G7 (one of the competing models of the Xiaomi Yu7) concluding the message with a heart. The atmosphere is much more relaxed than in regular tackles between Carlos Tavares and Luca de Meo.
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