A video posted by Xiaomi founder, Chairman, and CEO Lei Jun showing him transporting 600 kilograms of cherries in his personal car has sparked online debate over potential traffic violations.
On June 12, Lei Jun released a video titled "Bringing 500kg of cherries to show appreciation for engineers." The footage showed 120 boxes of cherries, totaling 600 kilograms, loaded into the vehicle, filling the trunk, front trunk (frunk), and the entire rear seat area.
Following the video's release, many netizens pointed out that this practice posed multiple traffic safety hazards and likely constituted illegal cargo transportation in a passenger vehicle.
According to the Implementation Regulations of the Road Traffic Safety Law, passenger cars, including private vehicles, are prohibited from carrying cargo except in luggage racks on the exterior or in the built-in luggage compartment (i.e., the trunk).
Furthermore, the Road Traffic Safety Law stipulates that passenger motor vehicles must not carry cargo in violation of regulations, and the load carried by a motor vehicle must comply with its approved load capacity; overloading is strictly prohibited.
In a live stream on June 13, Lei Jun addressed the controversy, clarifying that the video of distributing the cherries was filmed within a closed factory area, and the 500kg of cherries were delivered to the testing ground by truck.
Prior to this, on the same day, Xu Jieyun, Special Assistant to the Chairman and Deputy General Manager of the Strategic Marketing Department at Xiaomi Group, posted an explanation online, stating it was indeed an internal road within the campus inaccessible to external vehicles. He noted the Yancheng testing ground is vast, covering over 1,000 acres, and using a vehicle was the most convenient way to distribute the 500kg of cherries, which were centrally procured, to different locations within the large compound.
Regarding the legality of the action shown in the video, a traffic police officer consulted by a reporter on the morning of June 13 stated that according to the Implementation Regulations of the Road Traffic Safety Law, loading luggage in the front and rear trunks is permissible. However, filling the rear passenger seats so completely is not allowed. The officer also added that before these regulations were established, the common practice generally did not involve using the front trunk (frunk) for cargo transport.
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