Core Insights - Xiaomi's automotive sales are increasing, and the company has attracted a senior industry professional, Kai Langer, from BMW to enhance its automotive business [1][3] - Kai Langer has over 20 years of experience at BMW, where he was responsible for the design of the i series and held various leadership roles [3] - The i series is BMW's electric vehicle line, launched in 2011, and has seen a decline in overall sales, with the i3 model set to be discontinued in 2024 [4] Financial Performance - BMW reported a global sales figure of over 1.2 million vehicles in the first half of the year, a slight decrease of 0.5% year-on-year [4] - Revenue for BMW in the first half of the year was €67.685 billion, down 8% year-on-year, while net profit fell by 29% to €4.015 billion [4] - The EBIT margin for BMW's automotive business decreased by 2.4 percentage points to 6.2% [4] Market Dynamics - The Chinese market has been a significant challenge for BMW, with sales dropping 15.5% to 318,000 vehicles in the first half of the year [4] - Despite overall sales declines, BMW's electric vehicle sales increased, with over 220,000 pure electric vehicles delivered, a 15.7% increase year-on-year, making up 18.3% of total sales [4] - Including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), total deliveries of BMW's new energy vehicles reached 319,000, an 18.6% increase year-on-year, accounting for 26.4% of total sales [5] Competitive Landscape - The growth in BMW's new energy vehicles is primarily driven by the MINI brand, which saw a 361.7% increase in pure electric vehicle deliveries to 46,000 units [5] - In contrast, BMW's own brand saw a 3% decline in pure electric vehicle sales, totaling 174,000 units, while PHEV sales increased by 29% to 98,000 units [5] - Xiaomi's automotive division achieved record sales of over 30,000 units in July, indicating strong market interest despite a longer delivery cycle [5]