Letters | Romance of the Three Kingdoms in China’s EV market?

Readers discuss the competition among electric vehicle manufacturers in China, and what the country’s leadership should prioritise

Reading Time:2 minutes

Xiaomi founder Lei Jun shows off the multiple colours of the SU7, a sporty four-door electric vehicle, during a launch event in Beijing, on March 28. Photo: AP

Published: 2:30pm, 22 Apr 2024

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification

About 1800 years ago, the famous battle of the Red Cliff took place. Cao Cao, the most powerful warlord of the north, was squarely defeated by Liu Bei and Sun Quan of the south.

Today, Elon Musk is Cao Cao, and his Tesla could be seen to be competing with two Chinese players. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun is Liu Bei in the current scenario, as the least established player of the three. But Lei has a clear advantage: price.

Although Musk seems to have the upper hand, Lei could laugh all the way to the bank eventually, because Musk is a busy man who has to take care of SpaceX as well as the social media platform X. Lei, on the other hand, is very focused and gearing up to win the electric vehicle battle.

Out of three Chinese car buyers, maybe one will buy a Tesla. But another could be a fan of Lei’s. So we shall see. Tesla’s market capitalisation is slowly melting, and so is its market share. Eventually, history will repeat itself. And then we will have the new Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Li Mingxuan, Selangor, Malaysia