'I don't want to give it up': Ford boss doubles down on his love of Chinese electric cars after driving a Xiaomi SU7 EV for months

A month after Ford CEO Jim Farley reportedly said Chinese automakers presented an “existential threat” to the western automotive industry, the boss of the world's sixth largest automaker appears to have explained why.

He's been driving a Chinese-made EV for months after having an Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan specially imported into the United States, a car he admits he is a big fan of.

“I don’t like talking about the competition so much, but I drive a Xiaomi. We flew one from Shanghai to Chicago and I’ve been driving it for six months now, and I don’t want to give it up,” he said in an Everything Electric Show interview on Monday.

They’re not the words you would expect to come out of the mouth of one of the US’s biggest car makers, particularly as western governments lock horns with Chinese automakers over what they argue is unfair state-orchestrated support.

American’s are effectively barred from purchasing Chinese EVs after the Biden administration slapped 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese made cars to protect domestic automakers.

The European Union also implemented tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent on Chinese made EVs for the same reason, which is in addition to an already 10 per cent levy on imported vehicles.

But Farley’s latest comments suggests the real reason why western governments have banned Chinese EVs is due to the supreme quality of their battery technology and software integration.

“I’ve had two trips to China the last two years that were literally epiphanies,” he said.

“In the west, our cell phone companies are not into cars – they don't have car companies. But in China, both Huawei and Xiaomi, the two biggest cell phone companies, are inside of every vehicle that is made.”

"Everyone's talking about the Apple car, but the Xiaomi car, which now exists – it's fantastic."

Xiaomi, which is one of China’s biggest smartphone and e-scooter manufacturers, unveiled its first electric car the SU7 in late 2023 before launching it in March this year.

The top-spec XU7 Max uses a 101kWh battery pack from CATL, which Xiaomi claims is good for 800km of CLTC-rated driving range. It reportedly powers from 0-100km/h in 2.78 seconds and hits a top speed of 265km/h.

According to CarNewsChina, it sold out within 24 hours, with the brand registering some 88,898 orders in a day.

"[Xiaomi] is an industry juggernaut and a consumer brand that is much stronger than [most] car companies,” Farley said.

They’re comments that are set to put the western automotive world on notice, particularly as the majority of western brands water down their electrification ambitions, with some brands, such as BMW, calling for an all out cancellation of the EU’s ban on petrol and diesel cars.