It is said that Apple spent 10 billion US dollars (about 70.2 billion yuan) and did not build a car for 10 years, and finally gave up the car project. And Xiaomi, which is highly similar to Apple, 10 billion, in 3 years, has created Xiaomi su7. So why is Xiaomi successful in making cars in the same way?
[Apple's goal is too big, Xiaomi's goal is clear!] 】
When Apple first wanted to build a car, it didn't have a clear direction, and it is said that the Apple Car project had been canceled and restarted several times before it was terminated, losing hundreds of employees in the process. As the leadership disagreed on the direction of Apple's car, it was most positioned as an electric car that competed with Tesla, and later evolved into a self-driving car that competed with Google's self-driving sister company, Waymo. Before Apple abandoned the car project, the final goal was to be an electric car with driver assistance features that would rival Tesla.
In contrast, the goal of Xiaomi Auto is clear. Xiaomi does not want to subvert the industry, but to enrich the Mijia ecological chain. Therefore, the difficulty of such an electric car is much simpler than Apple's initial desire to fully realize unmanned driving. And when Xiaomi made cars, there were already a large number of new Chinese power companies, and there were lessons from the past. In contrast, the United States also has Tesla, but the scale of pure electric vehicles is actually not as good as China.
[Apple's ** business model, Xiaomi is self-produced and self-sold! ] 】
As we all know, Apple is a software company that outsources all of its hardware to third-party companies. For example, mobile phones are manufactured by Foxconn. But the difficulty of making a car is very different from the difficulty of making a mobile phone. Apple probably never wanted to build a factory to produce and sell itself, but still outsourced production to other companies.
It is said that Apple has also looked at many traditional car brands, but because Apple is a particularly strong party side. It is not easy to find partners, and "Wei Xiaoli" has also proved in practice that OEM is unreliable, and you have to build your own factory or acquire other people's factories, only in this way can you achieve low cost.
And Xiaomi thought very clearly at the beginning, insisting on building its own factory, producing and selling itself, and firmly controlling the production and chain in its own hands, which is also a plan in advance for the long-term development of the future.
[Apple bets on AI, Xiaomi bets on cars].
Another very important reason why Apple gave up making cars is that Apple believes that artificial intelligence makes money if it doesn't make money. It is said that if the Apple Car is on the market, it is likely that the cost of an Apple car will be at least $100,000, but it is still marginally small compared to smartphones and headphones. At the beginning of this year, Apple's leadership decided that it would be better to devote the company's resources to research generative AI rather than cars. People involved in Apple's car development applauded Apple's decision to shut down the project, saying the technology behind generative AI could be invaluable to the future of Apple's vital iPhone business.
Xiaomi is a very clear bet on the car, Lei Jun also once said at the press conference that the car will be the last major entrepreneurial project in his life, which can be said to be a bet on the second half of his life.
[Apple proves that it is really difficult to build a car!] 】
Finally, I would like to add that Xiaomi is in China. China has a complete automobile chain, skilled automobile workers, national policy support, and a huge user base. Let Xiaomi cars develop more easily than Apple.
Apple tossed $10 billion in 10 years, and giving up building cars tells us that it is really difficult to build cars. I don't know if Xiaomi is secretly happy now, in terms of mobile phone and car ecology, if Xiaomi goes abroad, there will be no strong competitor like Apple.