(Yicai Global) Feb. 2 -- Xiaomi Group is requesting one of the suppliers to its new energy vehicle unit to pay CNY1 million (USD150,000) in compensation for disclosing designs of the Chinese smartphone giant’s first electric car, which is still at the concept stage.
Beijing Beiqi Mould and Plastic Technology, which makes car bumpers, molds and plastic products, failed to properly manage a downstream supplier resulting in the leaking of confidential information last month, Xiaomi said today. Iml Film
Sketches of the front and rear bumpers as well decorative elements of the MS11, which is not due to roll of the production line until the first half of 2024, were made public without permission, the Beijing-based tech firm said.
Xiaomi will urge Beiqi Mould, which is a unit of auto manufacturer BAIC Group, to strengthen data security management by its downstream suppliers and punish the leaker.
The files were drafts from the very early bidding stage and not the final documents, Wang Hua, general manager of Xiaomi’s public relations department, said at that time.
“Everything is proceeding smoothly towards the goal of mass production in the first half of 2024,” Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Lin Shiwei said at the third-quarter earnings call last year. The global chip shortage will not affect the company's car business.
Xiaomi invested CNY1.8 billion (USD267.6 million) in research and development in the nine months ended Sept. 30 and has an R&D team that is 1,500 people strong.
It is also building a car factory in Beijing, the first phase of which will have an output of 150,000 autos a year and is scheduled to be completed in June 2023. The second phase will have a similar capacity and is due to be finished in March 2025.
Plastic Mold Building Editors: Zhang Yushuo, Kim Taylor