From mobile phones to car wheels: Xiaomi and Huawei, rivals on a narrow road.

Huawei needs to step in to temporarily force Lei Jun to retreat.

Recently, the news of "Huawei Smart Selection S7 snatching Xiaomi SU7 orders" has been hyped by major media.

On April 22, according to Red Star News, when purchasing a Huawei Smart Selection S7 at a Huawei Smart Selection car store, providing a screenshot of locking an order for Xiaomi SU7 can directly deduct 5000 yuan from the final payment. Subsidies are also available for competing models after locking the order, including Tesla.

Just when everyone was ready to watch the show with their sunflower seeds and small stools, Lei Jun played a Tai Chi move and "generously" told everyone that it's also okay to buy other cars if they need a car urgently.

However, most spectators do not believe that Xiaomi will always avoid the sharp edge of the opponent.

The marketing of new energy vehicles is entering an increasingly ruthless era. Behind the alliances of the vassals, a major battle is about to break out.

In the marketing warfare of learning from Xiaomi and targeting Xiaomi, perhaps Xiaomi itself is the real instigator.

The situation in the northwest of Shanxi has become a mess, and Huawei is just the beginning, with other competitors following suit.

Just one day later, on April 23, the media interviewed NIO's offline stores, and its car sales representative said, "NIO is also offering a subsidy of 5,000 yuan to customers who place orders for Xiaomi, and even if you place an order for a NIO car, you can still get a refund on the deposit."

Yes, the business war between major car companies is just that simple and straightforward.

Before the second round of delivery of Xiaomi cars, some car companies have shamelessly started poaching customers!

The methods may not be fair, but the business war believes in effectiveness.

In fact, since the high-profile release of Xiaomi SU7, unfriendly competitors have not stopped "encircling" Xiaomi.

At a recent Ziji car launch event, Ziji claimed that the Xiaomi SU7 uses front IGBT and rear SIC electric drive, which is not as good as their own front and rear dual SIC silicon carbide.

This was then refuted by a Xiaomi product manager online: the Xiaomi SU7 uses SIC silicon carbide modules throughout the entire range.

The rebuttal was not only timely, but also very powerful. It led Ziji to issue three apology statements on the evening of the new car launch event and the following day, and they are still being held up on the wall of public opinion by Xiaomi supporters.

Slandering, intercepting, and high-level executives personally speaking out—within just one month, the competition in the new energy vehicle market is as abundant and fresh as the entertainment industry.

The last time I saw such a scene was in the smartphone market.

After the Xiaomi SU7 launch event, everyone said they wanted to learn from Lei Jun's marketing. However, in the era of smartphones, Xiaomi has always been overshadowed by Huawei in marketing.

In the smartphone market, the open and covert competition between Huawei and Xiaomi is well known.

In 2014, Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note series, and Huawei promoted the Honor series, making the two companies direct competitors, starting a fierce public opinion war that lasted for a decade.

Mutual slandering is a fresh tactic in the new energy vehicle industry, but it is not uncommon between smartphone manufacturers.

In October 2014, after Huawei director Yu Chengdong celebrated the sales volume of smartphones on Weibo, Lei Jun began to mock him, questioning the shipment volume of smartphones in the third quarter of that year. In 2015, Yu Chengdong directly mocked Xiaomi users as "losers" and Xiaomi as a "loser brand."

Since then, this kind of direct and confrontational war of words has occurred frequently.

In 2018, the official announcement of the Honor phone stated that it would release the Honor Play on June 6, featuring Huawei's "very scary technology." Xiaomi immediately responded that the Xiaomi 8 has many "very scary technologies." In response, Huawei directly stated that they have many technologies and said, "Do you want to learn? It's very difficult, you have to study hard."

At the end of 2019, Xiaomi's public relations officer Pan Da publicly questioned the false advertising of the Honor Smart Screen on Weibo, and Xiaomi and Honor engaged in a week-long war of words, which had to be resolved through a live teardown.

According to the definition of the Navy, apart from Huawei phones, all other phone brands are rubbish. There is a widely circulated famous saying:

If you use Xiaomi, you are a loser; if you use Apple, you are a poor person pretending to be rich; Samsung phones are time bombs; only successful people use Huawei phones!

Under the long-term pressure from Huawei's public opinion, Lei Jun at that time did not have the patience he has now, and many famous quotes were born in such a background.

For example, perhaps unable to bear it any longer, Lei Jun directly threw out the words "beat Huawei" and directly compared the performance of friendly competitors.

The phrase "take life and death lightly, if you don't agree, just do it" also comes from the fierce battle between Xiaomi and Huawei.

Every year's new product release and new technology promotion, it seems abnormal for Huawei and Xiaomi not to exchange harsh words. "Friendly competitors" in the digital circle are no longer respectful terms, but have become a euphemism for rivalry.

The fierce battle between Huawei and Xiaomi in the mobile phone market has been going on for more than ten years, and it has finally brought the battle to the new energy vehicle market.

It can be foreseen that the open and secret struggle between the two sides in the electric vehicle market will not cease because of Lei Jun's response. The reason is also obvious. In 2024, under the fierce price war of various car companies, it is a manifestation of the global electric vehicle industry facing insufficient market demand.

For domestic electric vehicle manufacturers with excessive production capacity, only by continuing to lower prices can they maintain their market share.

Therefore, whether it is Huawei or Xiaomi, direct conflict will be inevitable.

The success of Xiaomi SU7 has opened up a new way of thinking for the big players in the increasingly competitive automotive market.

On the evening of April 22, at the NIO L car launch event, Zhou Hongyi, the chairman of 360 Group and an investor in NIO, also made an appearance and once again urged NIO's CEO, Zhang Yong, to learn from Lei Jun.

"If Lei Jun were to talk about this product, how would he do it? Including the script prepared by NIO's marketing department, everyone must think from Lei Jun's perspective. If Lei Jun were to speak, it definitely wouldn't be in this manner. Lei Jun would definitely start by addressing the aspects that many users care about and memorable star-studded scenes, and everyone would definitely understand the details he talks about."

Lei Jun, with his own efforts, has become the "standard template" for many future product launch events.

Not only using numbers and percentages to explain the product, Lei Jun also brought the set of templates for releasing mobile phones to the car launch event.

In addition, using numbers, percentages, or other adjectives to package products is only a 1.0 version skill. In this release event, Lei Jun's marketing skills have evolved to version 3.0.

In addition to being good at using numbers to package concepts, Lei Jun has made up for his past shortcomings. He no longer simply talks about technology, but instead immerses himself in the user's usage scenarios and introduces many designs of the Xiaomi SU7.

For example, when introducing the skylight glass of the Xiaomi SU7, he specifically compared it to the skylight glass of Tesla to highlight the SU7's glass's ability to block ultraviolet rays.

By collaborating "friendly" with competitors, it is one of the effective means of "Lei's marketing" to bring attention to their own products.

Since the debut of Xiaomi cars, they have been targeting competitors, with a design resembling Porsche, parameters benchmarking Tesla, and prices undercutting competitors.

Although it is said to be "learning from excellent competitors" when speaking, it cannot hide the fact that Lei Jun is determined to attract everyone to promote their own products.

At the Xiaomi car launch event, leaders of various domestic car companies such as Great Wall, NIO, Li Xiang, and Xiaopeng sat in the front row, boosting its momentum.

This is the unique charm of "Lei's marketing". It is more like a carefully packaged show than a product launch event.

In this peak showcase, Lei Jun creates numerous small topics to attract attention and contributes numerous traffic topics to society.

The power of "Lei's marketing" is far more than that.

On the day of the first delivery of Xiaomi cars, Lei Jun appeared in a suit at the Xiaomi factory in Beijing, bowing and opening the car door for the first batch of car owners.

A 79 yuan eyebrow pencil was criticized by internet celebrities for not working hard, while a 300,000 yuan car made the billionaire CEO personally open the car door for me. This gimmick, this allure, instantly expanded the influence, making car owners willing to spend even more money.

In public, Lei Jun is humble enough to bend down and open the car door, but behind the scenes, his methods are powerful enough to make all negative information "disappear".

Huawei's Smart Selection S7 barely saved its poor sales after two launch events, while the first generation of Xiaomi cars received overwhelming attention right after its debut. It is inevitable that there will be public opinion backlash in the future.

"Xiaomi SU7 unsubscribe rate 40%" appeared on various platforms in early April. However, on the second day of public opinion fermentation, this term had disappeared from the internet.

Similarly, the topic of "Xiaomi car insurance premiums are equivalent to over 500,000 yuan for fuel cars" has also disappeared without a trace.

In a sense, in the face of mysterious forces, some electric car brands are indeed far ahead.

Faced with the current popularity of the Xiaomi SU7, even the outspoken critics have to recognize the situation.

Lei Jun has already reached the pinnacle in marketing, and his strength is beyond comparison.

Faced with the siege and suppression of many competitors, Xiaomi not only repeatedly wins battles but also repeatedly seizes the high ground of public opinion.

The current situation is somewhat similar to the scene in "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" where Yue Buqun defeated Zuo Lengchan at the Summit of the Sacred Flame, using four steps: weakening the opponent, suppressing public opinion, provoking the opponent with words, and using the "Evil-Dispelling Sword Technique" to counterattack Zuo Lengchan.

In the past month, after admiring Xiaomi, learning from Xiaomi, and riding on Xiaomi's coattails, major car companies have caught on to the routine and started to "besiege" Xiaomi.

A turbulent and chaotic era is unfolding.

Relying on marketing, the Xiaomi SU7 has been popular for nearly a month, and during this month, it has led the new energy vehicle market in a strange direction—

Car companies have transitioned from focusing on technology and pricing to focusing on marketing. Since the Xiaomi SU7's explosive launch event, the bottom line of car marketing has continued to decrease.

Lei Jun's seemingly low-key and generous response turns all attacks into nothing, and there must be a mastermind behind it.

Zou Zhendong, a professor at Xiamen University, summarized the basic laws of the public opinion world in his book "Weak Communication".

Obviously, in the entire marketing of the Xiaomi SU7, Lei Jun has perfectly executed two core points:

1. In the public opinion world, the weak in real life often receive more sympathy and support.

2. Emotions dominate the public opinion world, and emotional factors often influence public judgment.

If you think Lei Jun is just showing weakness, then you are completely wrong.

Lei Jun's display of weakness in public opinion depends on the audience.

Faced with certain opponents, Xiaomi will not hesitate to show its fangs and make the opponent retreat.

In the incident where Smart Selection mistakenly labeled Xiaomi's parameters, this toughness was fully demonstrated.

On that evening, Xiaomi's spokesperson issued three articles, accusing them of "intentionally spreading rumors, smearing, and harassing." They first demanded that Smart Selection clarify the incorrect parameters and apologize, then refused to acknowledge the CEO's "casual apology," and finally demanded that Smart Selection publicly apologize.

The continuous pressure forced Smart Selection to issue an apology letter in the early morning, and even had to make ambiguous remarks the next day, claiming "no intention to challenge Xiaomi's overwhelming influence."

In public, Lei Jun is like a breath of fresh air, but behind the scenes, he never gives an inch. His marketing methods have made all car companies grit their teeth. So, when Xiaomi's delivery capability was clearly lacking, various car companies tried to "intercept" to take advantage.

From announcing the car manufacturing to the SU7 launch, Xiaomi only took three years.

This means that unlike car companies like BYD, which have years of experience in car manufacturing, Xiaomi is experiencing car manufacturing for the first time. Making a car for the first time, with zero prior experience, is a completely new experience for them.

The appearance of a car can be inspired by other brands, and the configuration can be improved, but without the experience of developing a car, it is impossible to learn from and draw on the market feedback over time.

Xiaomi directly uses parameter comparisons to replace the introduction of car performance, without market feedback, and without knowing who gave them the courage to claim to be "far ahead".

A single parameter comparison cannot be used as an overall evaluation of a car.

Musk has previously made related remarks, saying, "The correct way to score any technology is not to compare it with competitors (too easy), but to compare it with physical limits."

This statement was made just before the Xiaomi car launch, as if it had foreseen the future.

The attitude displayed by Tesla reflects the fundamental difference in corporate genes between Tesla and Xiaomi—

Tesla is a pioneer in technology, while Xiaomi is focused on parameter comparisons.

In terms of configuration, the Xiaomi SU7 has indeed delivered a good test paper.

Electric suction doors, HUD head-up display, electric tail wing (optional for Pro), roof suede material, 800V architecture, air suspension, suspension soft and hard adjustment, etc., are all exclusive to the Max version.

However, even for smartphones, judging the quality solely based on parameter configuration is not enough—In the global smartphone market, there are other brands that have surpassed Samsung or iPhone in certain parameters, but Samsung and iPhone still maintain a leading position in the global market.

Whether a phone is truly easy to use is determined by various factors such as phone design, system, ecosystem, calibration, and functions.

For a car, it is even more so.

Take the Xiaomi SU7, which was particularly fond of comparing with Tesla at the launch event. Apart from the parameters shown at the event, the Tesla Model 3 actually has advantages that cannot be reflected in the parameters.

For example, the Model 3's traction control (TC) and quietness are far superior to the Xiaomi SU7, and the chassis balances comfort and handling. The logic of the single pedal is leading in the industry, and the brake light will light up to warn the following car during kinetic energy recovery, which are all very good highlights.

The Xiaomi SU7 is certainly a car with many advantages, but it is far from perfect. After its launch, there was some public opinion, but most of it did not cause much of a stir:

In a sense, Xiaomi's car-making story is a typical Chinese enterprise story, just like Tesla, representing the distinct characteristics of the two major industrial countries, China and the United States:

Tesla seeks to compare with the physical limits, rather than comparing with existing products; while Xiaomi is keen on carving on an A4 paper and then "learning from the barbarians to control the barbarians" in the Chinese market.

Just as Xiaomi phones completely defeated the knockoff phones and ended an era, the emergence of Xiaomi cars also marks the end of the myth of China's electric car manufacturing story. Electric cars will be plunged into an even more intense battle in the future.

It seems that Xiaomi now has the upper hand in public opinion, but compared to Huawei, which entered the market with the Sisley shell, car-making is an unmissable battle for Xiaomi:

As a global company, Xiaomi's total revenue in 2023 was 270.97 billion yuan; while Huawei, despite being sanctioned, still achieved a revenue of 704.2 billion yuan in 2023, with more ease and abundance.

According to Yu Dawei's own definition, safety is the greatest luxury, and this viewpoint has a market in China with low risk preferences.

For the Xiaomi SU7, the real test of safety is yet to come.