On the 4th (local time) at Messe Berlin in Berlin, Germany, where Europe's largest home appliance and information technology (IT) trade show, IFA 2026, opened. Entering the Xiaomi booth, the electric concept hypercar "Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo" greeted visitors. A few steps ahead, an area modeled after a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and study continued alongside the electric sedan "SU7." In the middle of a home appliance show that once displayed refrigerators and TVs, a car took center stage.
Xiaomi focused its exhibit on showing scenes where vehicles and refrigerators, air conditioners, TVs, and smartphones are connected through the same operating system (OS) and artificial intelligence (AI). As electric vehicles evolve from simple means of transportation into "large smart devices" that Ieoju the digital experience of the home and smartphone even on the move, the line between home appliances and cars is blurring.
At IFA 2026, the mobility-dedicated space was moved to CityCube Berlin, and electric cars, electric bicycles, e-scooters, and cargo bikes were grouped into separate categories. A 200-meter "mobility track" was also set up for visitors to test-ride electric bicycles and e-scooters. German automaker Volkswagen and Chinese companies Xiaomi and Xpeng, among others, as well as IT firms, took part in the mobility showcase.
◇ SU7 next to a refrigerator… China's Xiaomi sketches "people×car×home"
Participating in IFA for the first time this year, Xiaomi gathered more than 380 products and technologies in an exhibition hall exceeding 3,300 square meters. It is the largest standalone space the company has ever set up at an overseas show. The "Human×Car×Home" ecosystem that ties smartphones, home appliances, and cars together with AI is at the heart of the exhibit.
The area showcasing future technologies featured the Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo, while the zone introducing practical technologies placed the SU7 alongside a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and study. The high-performance electric car "SU7 Ultra" also appeared on the show floor.
Xiaomi implemented "connectivity" in which, when a user drives home, the vehicle consolidates with smart home devices to pre-adjust the indoor environment. Smartphones, vehicles, and home appliances are linked via Xiaomi's integrated operating system, HyperOS. Xiaomi expanded its business domain—once centered on smartphones and home appliances—into mobility by delivering its first electric car in 2024.
◇ EVs power an induction cooktop, AI glasses serve as a "car manual"
German automaker Volkswagen displayed the electric sport-utility vehicle (SUV) "ID. Cross" in the outdoor area of IFA. The car features vehicle-to-load (V2L), which supplies power from the vehicle's battery to external electronic devices. It can deliver up to 3.6 kW of power to other devices.
Spanish auto brand CUPRA integrated AI glasses into its new electric vehicle "Raval." The "AI Glass Companion," jointly developed by U.S. company Meta, Spain's CUPRA, Germany's 1SP Agency, and XR creator CON (XRCC), was unveiled for the first time in the world at this IFA. Using the glasses' camera and voice and gesture recognition, the AI identifies the vehicle parts the user is looking at or pointing to and explains the related functions.
An industry official said, "Rather than home appliances and cars encroaching on each other's turf, the technologies used by the two industries are rapidly converging," and added, "As cars become electrified and shift to software-centric systems, AI, OS, batteries, and connectivity have become core competitive strengths, which are areas that home appliance and IT companies already excel in."