Test drive at 140mph: Alibaba’s Taobao puts Xiaomi car buyers behind virtual wheel

After an update to Taobao’s app on Apple’s Vision Pro headset, users can test drive Xiaomi’s SU7 virtually before buying it online

Reading Time:2 minutes

Car buyers considering Xiaomi’s SU7 electric sedan can view colour options and explore interior details through Alibaba’s Taobao app for Apple’s Vision Pro. Photo: Handout

Ann Caoin Shanghai

Published: 10:30am, 15 Sep 2024Updated: 11:58am, 18 Sep 2024

A new feature on Alibaba Group Holding’s Taobao app lets potential car buyers test drive Xiaomi’s SU7 electric vehicle virtually through Apple’s Vision Pro headset, the latest example of Chinese tech companies employing cutting-edge technology to compete for customers.

Launched earlier this week as part of an update to Taobao’s Vision Pro app, the new function allows users to check out details of the Xiaomi car, view colour options and conduct test drives, all while wearing the Apple headset. The feature is based on extended-reality (XR) technology, a catch-all term combining virtual reality (VR), augmented reality and mixed reality.

Taobao and Tmall Group, the domestic e-commerce unit of Alibaba, said the idea came about after its XR team started looking into the online shopping experience for large items – including cars, furniture and bigger home appliances – and found several barriers. For instance, there is no easy way for customers to try products.

The Vision Pro feature offers a VR mode that lets users explore the interior details of the Xiaomi vehicle, such as the steering wheel and dashboard. It also gives users an experience they can only obtain safely in a virtual environment: driving at speeds of more than 140 miles per hour.

The “boost mode” in the test-drive function on Taobao simulates high-speed driving. Photo: Handout

“The boost mode is the most impressive,” said Xu Hao, a Shanghai-based Vision Pro user who tried the fast-driving function. “I might not buy the SU7 based only on the Vision Pro test drive, but it will be good supplementary information to offline experiences.”