(Yicai) July 15 -- Xiaomi Auto, the electric vehicle arm of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, have obtained the independent car manufacturing license from Chinese authorities.

In the latest catalog of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released on June 12, Xiaomi’s four EV models were listed as manufactured by Xiaomi, with the manufacturing address being that of the company’s factory in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone.

In the catalog published last November, BAIC Group’s BAIC Off-Road Vehicle was listed as the manufacturer of Xiaomi vehicles.

Obtaining the car manufacturing license is an important milestone for Xiaomi, an analyst told Securities Times.

Only 16 carmakers had obtained China’s independent manufacturing license before Xiaomi. Therefore, many new energy vehicle startups have to borrow peers’ production lines.

In addition to the SU7, Xiaomi plans to launch two more models in the next two years. The second model is an all-electric sports utility vehicle expected to hit the market next year, and the third one is an extended-range SUV targeting family users scheduled to be released in 2026.

Xiaomi sold 11,603 vehicles in June, surpassing Xpeng Motors to rank 14th in the Chinese NEV manufacturers list, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association.

Xiaomi aims to deliver 120,000 vehicles this year, founder and Chairman Lei Jun said earlier on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The SU7 went on sale at the end of March.

Editor: Futura Costaglione