Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On Jan. 5, Xiaomi EV founder, chairman and CEO Lei Jun responded to a blogger's claim that a Xiaomi car losing a wheel in a crash reflects a safety design known as "lose-the-wheel, save-the-car."
Lei Jun wrote on his personal Weibo: "'Lose-the-wheel, save-the-car' is a mature safety design already used by many luxury models. I once thought Volvo pioneered it, but it turns out Mercedes-Benz did. As you can see from our teardown livestream, Xiaomi has put enormous effort into vehicle safety. From day one, we said: safety is the foundation, safety comes first."
This time, Xiaomi pushed the automotive engineering term "lose-the-wheel, save-the-car" into the public eye.
Behind "lose-the-wheel, save-the-car"
On the evening of Jan. 3, Lei Jun livestreamed a teardown of the YU7 to answer questions about materials used in Xiaomi's carmaking.
He said the move was prompted by a blogger who argued the solid materials in Xiaomi SU7 were chosen because the company "knew it would be torn down," and that a second car might not be the same. To dispel doubts, he invited engineers to dismantle a YU7 on site and welcomed more bloggers to participate, while urging: "Be fair—don't exaggerate or pick fights just for clicks."
Xiaomi showed a 25% offset crash test, where after hitting the obstacle the body glances left and the wheel is thrown outward.
Lei Jun said some observers thought a Xiaomi wheel simply fell off in a crash; in fact, it's "lose-the-wheel, save-the-car," a small move that redirects a heavy hit.
At its core, "lose-the-wheel, save-the-car" is a precise crash energy management system. As Xiaomi engineers explained on the livestream, in the extreme scenario of a 25% offset crash, the front longitudinal rails have limited energy absorption, and most of the impact heads straight for the A-pillar; without a sound strategy, cabin deformation is likely.
To address this, Xiaomi's approach is to let the body slide away as much as possible so that by the time the impact would reach the A-pillar, it's already offset—creating a leverage effect that prevents intrusion into the cockpit and secondary injury.
This design isn't Xiaomi's invention.
Lei Jun later said the technology was pioneered by Mercedes-Benz and has long been used by Volvo and other luxury brands.
The logic echoes the "fail-safe" philosophy in aerospace—sacrificing non-critical components to protect the core safety cell.
Technically, "lose-the-wheel, save-the-car" challenges the old belief that a stiffer body is always safer, reflecting modern crash safety's core: guide energy precisely and prioritize occupant space.
Image source: Lei Jun's Weibo
Auto safety competition moves up a gear
The debate over "lose-the-wheel, save-the-car" signals that competition in new energy vehicles is extending beyond range and driver-assistance into a deeper contest over core safety technologies.
As EV penetration climbs, consumers are focusing on safety far more than with traditional combustion cars, increasingly making it a top purchase criterion. Xiaomi's push is prompting a rethink of safety's essence—protecting people rather than the vehicle itself—and upending the notion that "no body deformation equals safety."
For the industry, innovations like "controlled detachment" need unified testing and rating frameworks to avoid one-sided claims. Meanwhile, legacy brands tend to keep such technology low-key, while newcomers like Xiaomi speak up—reflecting different approaches to user communication.
Either way, the conversation is reminding the sector that safety innovation demands both engineering breakthroughs and public education, alongside shared standards. That’s the core prerequisite for the healthy development of EVs.
Xiaomi's "lose-the-wheel, save-the-car" is, in essence, a collision between technical innovation, public perception and industry norms. Technically, the design aligns with modern safety principles; in the public arena, its communications helped ease some doubts; at the industry level, the episode is nudging safety thinking forward.
Whether it becomes a widely recognized safety technology will take time and real-world validation. For Xiaomi, consistently delivering on technical promises and strengthening after-sales will be key to turning buzz into trust; for the industry, building standards fit for new technologies and a bridge for science outreach will help innovation truly serve consumer safety.
