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Xiaomi announced a hiring spree for self-driving engineers on Wednesday, as the Chinese smartphone maker accelerates plans for self-branded electric and autonomous vehicles. Xiaomi is seeking 500 experts in autonomous vehicles nationwide, according to a post published by chief executive Lei Jun on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. [Xiaomi announcement, in Chinese]

Lei Jun, chairman of Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, announced on Wednesday that the company has registered a car company called Xiaomi Qiche, or Xiaomi Automobile (our translation). The company has RMB 10 billion ($1.5 billion) in registered capital, with Lei being the CEO. [Lei Jun on Weibo, in Chinese]

Smartmi, a Chinese home appliance manufacturer backed by smartphone maker Xiaomi, has formed a small group researching electric vehicles (EVs) and is in the early phase, according to Xiaomi’s spokesman Wang Hua’s Tuesday Weibo post. Wang was responding to Chinese media reports of Smartmi considering making EVs, to which Wang said Xiaomi wasn’t aware. Wang added that Xiaomi is not involved in Smartmi’s decision-making process. [Wang Hua’s Weibo, in Chinese]

Officials in the east China city of Hefei are in talks with Xiaomi to set up an electric vehicle (EV) plant, 36Kr reports. Hefei-based JAC Motors is expected to assemble cars for Xiaomi, said the report. JAC Motors also assembles cars for Chinese EV maker Nio in Hefei. Xiaomi announced it would invest $10 billion into making EVs in March. Officials from cities including Xi’an and Wuhan have also expressed interest in hosting the plant. [36Kr, in Chinese]

Self-driving startup Geometrical Pal raised RMB 400 million ($62 million) in pre-Series A funding from backers including Matrix Partners China and Hubei Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Investment Fund, an investment firm formed by the namesake smartphone maker, Chinese media reported Monday. This comes just two months after Xiaomi led a $190 million Series D for driver assistance system developer Zongmu, as the consumer electronics giant moves forward with driverless car technology. [36Kr, in Chinese]

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has set up a new private equity fund of RMB 1.1 billion ($172.7 million), according to public registration information disclosed by the Asset Management Association of China. Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s co-founder and CEO, manages the fund. The fund was established in May and registered on Monday. [Jiemian, in Chinese]