Xiaomi Plans to Enter Right-Hand-Drive Markets in 2028

Xiaomi plans to start selling right-hand-drive (RHD) cars in the first half of 2028, and it is already recruiting for its car business in Australia. RHD cars are built for countries that drive on the left, a group that includes Nepal.

Xiaomi president Lu Weibing set out the timetable at the company’s Investor Day on April 27, 2026. Europe comes first, in the second half of 2027, followed by RHD markets in the first half of 2028. Xiaomi has since said Germany will be its first European market. It does not build any RHD cars yet.

The latest sign of progress is two job listings for roles based in Sydney. One is for a senior legal counsel to handle sales, after-sales, contracts, and regulatory matters for Xiaomi’s Australian car business. The other is for a product manager to build instalment finance products with banks and leasing companies across the Asia-Pacific region.

Xiaomi has not officially confirmed an Australian launch. It has also not named the models, prices, or retail partners for any RHD market. Reports name Australia, the UK, Japan, and New Zealand among its likely markets, but Xiaomi has not confirmed which countries it will enter.

In Europe, the groundwork is further along. In September, Xiaomi signed memorandums of understanding with eight German dealer groups to handle sales and servicing. These are preliminary agreements rather than final dealer contracts.

Xiaomi’s best-known models are the SU7 electric sedan and the YU7 electric SUV, and reports suggest the two could form the basis of its range abroad. Neither has been confirmed for RHD markets yet. The company has said it will start overseas with higher-end models in developed markets, and its 2026 delivery target of 550,000 vehicles comes before any overseas sales begin.

Nepal is also an RHD market, so building RHD cars is the step that would make an official Xiaomi launch here possible. Xiaomi has not mentioned Nepal in its plans, and no Nepal distributor has been announced. For now, the 2028 timetable applies to RHD markets in general, not to any specific country.