From electric vehicle startups to traditional automakers, automakers are joining the livestreaming fray to boost sluggish sales. In addition to attracting younger consumers, livestreaming is a tool for companies to interact directly with potential customers and showcase the technology and performance of their vehicles without the need for advertising or traditional media.

According to Fortune , this approach has similarities with Tesla, a pioneer in a direct sales strategy based on building closer relationships between car owners, brands and CEO Elon Musk through apps, social media and other online channels.

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One of Xiaomi's electric car models. Photo: Bloomberg

Livestreams are now more personalized, with automaker executives often taking long road trips and broadcasting them live. They allow potential customers to see the car in action in real time. Driving range and driver assistance features are of the utmost interest to viewers.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, who has nearly 24 million followers on Weibo, is one of the leading executives. Xiaomi’s SU7 EV launch in March was watched by tens of millions of online viewers. The company has since shipped about 20,000 units.

In May, Lei attracted 39 million views with a 3.5-hour livestream in which he used driving assistance features on a trip from Shanghai to Hangzhou.

Nio founder William Li has been livestreaming regularly since early March. Li's trips across the country in Nio cars have attracted about 600,000 followers.

The founders of China's oldest automakers, including Li Shufu of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and Wei Jianjun of Great Wall Motor, were not left out. Wei's first livestream showcased Great Wall's advanced driver assistance features.

Now, some leaders of even state-owned automakers are joining their peers. Guangzhou Automobile Group registered Weibo accounts for Chairman Feng Xingya and Gu Huinan, director of its EV brand Aion, in May. In his debut video , Gu appeared awkward but received enthusiastic support from his subordinates.

“Before, people in the industry thought we were a bit conservative,” he said at an auto forum in early June. “This kind of platform allows us to interact directly with our users. They know what we think, we know what they want.”

For some, the transition from the boardroom to appearing live on camera hasn’t been easy. Chery Automobile Chairman Yin Tongyue began live-streaming in recent months and has emphasized how veterans like him have had to learn from their more tech-savvy colleagues.

“Even a 60-year-old man like me has to do this,” he said.

(According to Fortune)