Electric vehiclesXiaomi, Nio leaders and others turn to social media as price war acceleratesXiaomi founder Lei Jun, left, shows one of the company's cars to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing on April 13. The executive is also no stranger to using social media to tout the automaker's products. © ReutersGLORIA LIMay 19, 2026 13:56 JSTHONG KONG -- Auto executives in China are racing to reinvent themselves as social media influencers, as cut-throat competition in the world's largest car market forces them to step out of boardrooms and into livestreams, memes and attention-grabbing stunts.