The self-balancing car industry is trying to "swallow an elephant". Will it suffer from indigestion?

On April 15, Xiaomi led the investment in Ninebot, a self-balancing scooter company. Lei Jun, who is always the protagonist, just took a show this time to show that Xiaomi's smart ecosystem has gained another member. The acquisition of the old American self-balancing scooter Segway became an easter egg, attracting all the attention. The chain operation of capital really made this press conference quite interesting. A stone stirs up a thousand waves. What kind of changes will the Chinese self-balancing scooter industry face? Can the self-balancing scooter company of which Xiaomi is a shareholder handle it?

Xiaomi brings you benefits!

There are certainly benefits to cooperating with a company as large as Xiaomi. Its huge reputation in the mobile phone and even smart hardware industry can be described as "far-reaching". Not to mention the credibility endorsement and low-cost supply chain brought by its influence, Lei Jun's personal charm as an entrepreneurial star alone is what many brands dream of. A year before Xiaomi invested in Ninebot, it contacted Lexing, the leader in the smart balance car industry. During that negotiation, Xiaomi co-founder Liu De said something that people still remember - "Mr. Lei helps you post a Weibo, what a big impact!" Interestingly, this scene really appeared at the press conference of Xiaomi's investment in Ninebot. Lei Jun posted three Weibo posts for Ninebot, with pictures and texts, and received more than 4,000 likes and over a thousand reposts. You know, Mr. Lei has 11 million followers on Weibo, which is a top publicity benefit.

How to play Xiaomi's balance car

Countless balance car fans who paid attention to Xiaomi's press conference were not only shocked by the acquisition of Segway, but also a little disappointed, because no new products were released at the press conference, and the 999 yuan unicycle balance car widely predicted by the outside world did not come true.

Judging from the information revealed at this conference, Ninebot's balancing car will not be marked with the Xiaomi logo in the future, but they have legitimately become a member of the "Xiaomi smart ecological chain" and a part of Xiaomi's ecological chain strategy. According to Xiaomi's consistent strategy of entering a new industry, the first step is to play the low price card. We have to admit that Xiaomi can reduce the supply chain cost by relying on its expected shipments, but how to grasp the degree is a difficult problem. It should be known that the current mainstream balancing car manufacturers' unicycle prices are generally around 2,000-3,000 yuan. If Xiaomi really wants to act as a "price butcher" at 999 yuan, it is very likely to pay a price in quality, which will definitely not be worth the loss. So Xiaomi changed its nature and started to play high-end? It seems that it is not in line with its popular and popular brand positioning. Therefore, as an ecological chain company of Xiaomi, how Ninebot will fight in this set of punches in the balancing car is still a mystery.

The hidden concerns behind the acquisition of Segway

The purpose behind Ninebot's acquisition of Segway is very clear. As the pioneer of the self-balancing vehicle industry, Segway has a rich full range of products and more than 400 core patents, with both products and technologies. But we should not forget the fact that Segway's development in the United States was difficult, and it has now been acquired by a Chinese company at a low price.

There are many analyses of the reasons for the decline of Segway. One of the core points is that their products look cool, but they are extremely expensive and not widely used, and they are not really practical. You should know that the price of Segway in China is 80,000 to 100,000 yuan, and the annual global shipments are pitifully small. Ninebot proudly displayed its full range of products at the press conference, but there were no small and portable small-wheel products. In sharp contrast, Lexing, another company in China's smart balance car industry, ranks first in small-wheel balance cars with its advantages such as portability and detachability. Therefore, after completing the acquisition, if Ninebot still copies Segway's full set of products, it will inevitably face market risks. Let's take a look at how it will transform. The important thing is whether consumers will buy it?

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.