Apple spent a decade and billions of dollars trying to build an electric vehicle. In February 2024, they canceled the project and walked away. Meanwhile, Xiaomi launched their first EV in March 2024 and delivered over 410,000 units by the end of 2025 - accomplishing in two years what took NIO over a decade to achieve.

This isn't about hating on NIO. I'm a NIO investor. But after my last video comparing Xiaomi's execution to NIO's, the comment section exploded with people saying I don't understand what Xiaomi is, that the comparison isn't fair, and that I'm spreading FUD. So let's address all of that with facts.

First, I've had Xiaomi products in my house for decades. The Xiaomi TV I bought in college is still my bedroom TV today. I know exactly who Xiaomi is and what they bring to the table. But here's what matters more: what Xiaomi accomplished in the EV space is so difficult that Apple - with infinite resources, the best supply chain in the world, and some of the brightest engineers on the planet - looked at this market and said "we're out."

That should tell you everything you need to know about how hard building and scaling an EV company actually is.

My issue with NIO has never been about their potential. It's about focus. While Xiaomi was laser-focused on making great electric vehicles, NIO was doing everything BUT focusing on core vehicle production and sales. Let me show you the receipts.

In December 2023, NIO planned to spin off its battery production unit. In January 2024, their phone division head left after NIO launched the NIO Phone. In April 2024, they were discussing using humanoid robots in their factories. In October 2021, they acquired an exclusive vineyard in France. In April 2022, they filed wine-related trademarks. In September 2021, their fashion brand Blue Sky Lab debuted at Shanghai Fashion Week.

Phones. Wine. Fashion. Humanoid robots. Battery manufacturing spin-offs.

These aren't rumors. These are documented initiatives from NIO's official announcements and press coverage.

And it's not just side projects. Remember GAC NIO? The joint venture that was supposed to launch a new brand? It failed. Quietly. They tried to brush it under the rug. Another distraction that didn't pan out.

Now here's what's frustrating about the pushback I'm getting. People are mad at ME for saying NIO lost focus. But William Li literally said the same thing at his January 6th media briefing. His exact words: "We got a little carried away in our second cycle, doing a bit too many miscellaneous things."

The CEO himself admitted they overextended. He said they're now pausing robotics and android development until they achieve significant market share. He's saying exactly what I've been saying: NIO tried to do too much when the goal was just to sell cars.

So when people comment that I'm spreading FUD or that I don't understand the comparison, they're not arguing with me. They're arguing with NIO's own CEO.

The Xiaomi comparison matters because it exposes the execution gap. If a company can enter this market and match NIO's delivery numbers in two years - regardless of their advantages - that's a threat to investors like myself. And if Apple, with all their resources, couldn't make EVs work after ten years of trying, that tells you this market is brutally competitive and only the most focused companies will survive.

I'm going to keep speaking my mind about this. I don't care about being liked. I care about honest analysis and protecting my investment. If you can't handle objective criticism of a stock you own, this channel isn't for you. But if you want real discussion about what it takes to survive in the most competitive automotive market on Earth, stick around.

Everything I mentioned is linked below with sources. Judge for yourself whether NIO's strategy of doing everything at once was the right move, or whether Xiaomi's focus on just making great cars was smarter execution.