Nobody saw this coming — least of all Xiaomi itself. The Chinese tech giant is racing to shut down parallel imports of its electric cars into Germany before things spiral out of control. In the crosshairs: an ambitious German platform called Autohelden, which plans to sell Xiaomi models and three other Chinese brands across Europe without a shred of authorisation from the carmaker.
A spokesperson for Xiaomi Technology Germany didn’t bother with diplomatic niceties. The company has no business relationship with Autohelden or Fleemo, he told Automobilwoche. And that was just the opening act. Xiaomi has already kicked off legal proceedings to block the imports. If the cars somehow still reach Germany, the company is prepared to push for an EU-wide border seizure of every unauthorised vehicle. It sounds like a threat. It is one.
And Autohelden? CEO Christoph Wicke isn’t backing down. The dealer network is ready, the processes are in place, and somewhere between 80 and 100 outlets are planned across Germany. In the first full year, Wicke expects to move around 50,000 vehicles in Europe — with roughly a third of them landing on German roads. The lineup includes the Xiaomi SU7 and YU7 in every available version.
The picture is starting to look ugly for the entire industry. European demand for Chinese EVs is exploding, and independent importers are willing to drag them in by any means necessary — authorised or not. This isn’t just a corporate squabble. It’s a litmus test for who really controls sales in the hottest car market of the decade.
