Xiaomi confirms it has plans for VR and drones, but no cars

Photo credit: Pixabay.

One step back, but two steps forward? That may be the feeling for Xiaomi fans today after reading a new Phoenix News interview with Xiaomi co-founder and VP Liu De. At GMIC, he sat down with the Chinese media outlet to set the record straight on a few things.

Bad news first: that long-rumored Xiaomi smart car? It’s not happening, Liu says. Bummer.

But according to Liu, the company does have plans to release other cool products, including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) products and drones. VR and AR, Liu says, is something you might see this year, although it’s unlikely to come from Xiaomi directly. VR and AR are one of the areas the company has targeted for more research and ecosystem investment this year – meaning chances are that Xiaomi will buy a Chinese VR startup or two and release their existing products under the Xiaomi brand.

And in case you needed further confirmation, Xiaomi has already registered a Weibo account called “Xiaomi VR.” You can see it for yourself right here, although it hasn’t posted any messages yet. Earlier this year, another Xiaomi exec also posted that the company was working on VR, although he didn’t say whether anything would be released this year. Liu, however, suggested in his interview that we’ll get a taste of whatever “Xiaomi VR” might mean before 2016 is over.

Liu also confirmed that the company is working on an aerial drone, but said it’s not ready yet. It’s coming someday, but it’s unlikely you’ll be able to fly the skies with MIUI anytime in 2016.

Mysteriously, Liu also said that Xiaomi is working on some kind of short-distance transportation product this year. This could refer to the something like self-balancing scooters produced by Xiaomi’s ecosystem company Ninebot, the smart bike from Xiaomi ecosystem company iRiding that it showed off earlier this year, or something else entirely.