Inside Xiaomi's car factory: 91% automated, 1,000 cars a day
DHH tours the Beijing plant that went from first car in 2024 to full speed today.
David Heinemeier Hansson (@dhh), the creator of Ruby on Rails, shared a tour of Xiaomi's car factory in Beijing. According to his post, 91% of car construction there is automated, and the factory went from its first car in 2024 to 1,000 cars a day now. The post drew about 2,100 likes.
Xiaomi, best known for phones, moved into electric vehicles only recently, which makes the production ramp DHH describes especially fast.
Why it mattersThe figures he cites show how far automation has gone in manufacturing, with robots handling most of the build. It is a useful real-world reference point for conversations about AI and automation, which often focus on software rather than physical work.
