by Viral Video of Xiaomi Electric Car
In China, a video went viral showing a Xiaomi SU7 sedan starting to move on its own while the owner tried to catch up with it. This sparked a wave of discussions and concerns about the safety of such vehicles. Many speculated that the car could have been hacked or controlled by artificial intelligence; however, Xiaomi quickly responded, explaining that the incident occurred due to a remote command from the owner’s iPhone.
Key Points of the Incident
Beginning of the Event
The incident occurred on September 30, when the car owner, Li Xiaoshuang, parked his blue SU7 near a store in Weihai city. A few minutes later, while he was inside the establishment with a woman, the car suddenly began to move slowly forward without a driver. Noticing this, Li ran outside and rushed to catch up with his electric car.
Investigation and Clarification of Details
After the video was published, the owner contacted Xiaomi’s support service to report the car’s strange behavior. A company representative stated that the electric vehicle received a remote command from a device identified as “iPhone 16.2.” However, the owner denied using the phone or owning an iPhone 16 and provided the video as evidence.
It was later clarified that “16.2” does not refer to a new iPhone model but is an internal identifier that Apple assigns to the owner’s iPhone 15 Pro Max. It was also discovered that the iPhone 16 Pro, which belonged to the woman in the video, was marked with the code “17.1.”
Technical Confirmation
After analyzing the car’s data logs and smartphone activity, Xiaomi engineers confirmed that the electric vehicle did indeed receive a correct command for remote parking from the owner’s iPhone at that very moment. The company also stated that all systems were functioning properly.
Consequences of Accidental Commands
What could have caused the activation of the remote parking function without the owner’s knowledge? Most likely, the command was accidentally triggered through the app on the iPhone or via a voice assistant. However, the fact that a simple touch or phrase can cause a two-ton vehicle to move on its own should prompt manufacturers to consider additional safety measures.
Given that cars are becoming increasingly “smart,” manufacturers should implement more robust control mechanisms for such systems, rather than assuming that every innovative feature is flawless.
Official Statements
Xiaomi published a formal apology for the misunderstanding and thanked the owner for their cooperation in the investigation. They also emphasized that all the car’s systems were functioning properly. The owner, in turn, acknowledged the company’s findings after personally reviewing the data and urged others not to spread false rumors about software bugs or hacking.
Regarding the recent online video showing the Xiaomi car suddenly moving, we attach great importance to this incident and immediately established a special team to investigate and cooperate with the user to verify the situation. Both parties checked the operation logs of the user’s authorized mobile application and the car’s data, reaching a consensus: “The car data matches the operation logs of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, response time, and exit commands, ruling out any issues with the car’s quality.”
During the investigation, with the user’s consent, we obtained the car’s data and operation logs from two phones authorized to control the car: the woman owner’s iPhone 16 Pro and the man owner’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, with the corresponding device identifiers iPhone 17.1 and iPhone 16.2. The car data shows that during the time window described by the user, the car received a parking assist command from the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which activated the parking assist function (activation requires the car to be in close proximity to the phone’s Bluetooth connection) and initiated the exit.
When addressing the user’s feedback with the online support service, they stated that the parking assist command came from an iPhone 16. We verified that our online support representative confused the device model identifier (iPhone 16.2) with the corresponding device model (iPhone 15 Pro Max) during communication with the user, leading to misunderstanding and miscommunication. We apologize for this and will continue to improve our service efforts. Xiaomi Auto always prioritizes user safety and their experience. Thank you for your attention and support.
The car owner also published their response:
I am the owner of the car in question. The information above is true. The Xiaomi Auto team verified the data with me personally and confirmed that it is correct. Thank you for your professionalism and service. Please refrain from spreading rumors. Thank you.
This case highlights the importance of understanding new technologies and their impact on everyday life. The growing popularity of electric vehicles with advanced remote control features requires greater awareness from users and transparency and reliability from manufacturers. Such incidents can serve as an impetus for improving interfaces and safety mechanisms to avoid future misunderstandings and ensure the safety of all road users.
