- Xiaomi Auto created an International Business Division and named Yu Liguo general manager, signaling a shift from planning to an operational structure to pursue overseas market entry.
- Deliveries reached more than 50,000 vehicles in October and about 336,500 year-to-date, with a full-year target of 550,000 units requiring roughly 213,500 deliveries in November–December.
- Targets Germany and Europe starting H2 2027 with dealer MOUs signed, but faces execution risks from meeting domestic delivery targets, timely dealer network scaling, and regulatory and service setup.
Xiaomi Auto has established an International Business Division as it steps up preparations for overseas expansion, according to Chinese media reports.
The company has appointed Yu Liguo, vice president of Xiaomi’s automotive division, to also serve as general manager of the new unit. He will report to Lei Jun, Xiaomi Group CEO and president of its automotive division, as well as Lu Weibing, president of Xiaomi Group.
The new division will oversee several functions, including international marketing, go-to-market (GTM) operations, sales, dealer network development, delivery and logistics, customer service, general administration and regional overseas operations.
The international marketing department will report to both Yu and Xu Fei, Xiaomi Group vice president and chief marketing officer. The other departments will report directly to Yu.
The organizational changes signal a shift in Xiaomi Auto’s overseas ambitions from strategic planning to the establishment of an operational structure capable of supporting its international expansion.
This is not the company’s first move to prepare for overseas markets. In May, Xiaomi Auto formed an overseas business preparation team, led by Yu in his capacity as vice president.
At the time, its international operations were still in the early planning stages. The launch of a dedicated division with multiple specialized departments indicates that Xiaomi is now moving beyond preliminary preparations toward a more comprehensive organizational setup for overseas business.
Xiaomi Auto’s global expansion timeline has also become increasingly clear.
At Xiaomi’s investor day this year, Lu Weibing said the company expected to begin its global expansion in the second half of 2027, with Europe as its first destination. It plans to enter right-hand-drive markets in the first half of 2028.
In August, Xiaomi Auto began opening overseas social media accounts and launched a global website. The site also added an inquiry channel for prospective dealers and distributors, signaling preparations to establish overseas sales channels.
Xiaomi Auto outlined its European plans in greater detail during IFA 2026. It announced that it would enter European markets, including Germany, in 2027 and signed memorandums of understanding with its first eight German automotive dealer groups. The agreements mark an important step toward establishing a local sales and service network.
While preparing for international expansion, Xiaomi Auto continues to grow its business in China.
The company delivered more than 50K vehicles in October, up approximately 25% from 40,015 in September. Its deliveries totaled around 336.5K units from January through October.
Xiaomi Auto has set a full-year delivery target of 550K vehicles. It would therefore need to deliver approximately 213.5K vehicles over the final two months of 2026, or around 106.8K per month, to meet that goal.
For a company that still relies primarily on the Chinese market and has yet to begin overseas sales, reaching its annual target will be a significant challenge.
The new international division, along with dealer partnerships and preparations for sales and service networks in Europe, could open up a major new source of growth for Xiaomi Auto as it enters its next phase of expansion.
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