From Vacuums to Velocity: Dreame Sets Sights on Bugatti’s Throne and Li Auto’s Turf
For years, the name Dreame conjured images of silent robot vacuums gliding across living rooms. Now, the Chinese home appliance giant wants the world to adjust to an entirely different picture: a brand staking its claim in the rarefied air of hypercars and luxury crossovers, with ambitions bold enough to challenge Bugatti on one flank and homegrown rival Li Auto on the other.
The company has just unveiled a fresh rendering of its first hypercar, a design that seems to breathe new life into the silhouette of a Chiron, albeit with a distinctly Chinese twist. Most striking are the butterfly doors, dramatic enough to turn heads even in Monte Carlo traffic. Yet where Bugatti insists on a stripped-back two-seat cockpit, Dreame is promising a two-row cabin—an audacious nod to the idea that a hypercar might double as a family vehicle, at least in China’s interpretation.
Structural integrity is another boast: despite the absence of traditional B-pillars, Dreame claims the body is rigid enough to silence the harshest critics. As for what powers this machine, the company remains coy. The only hints so far suggest buyers will choose between a fully electric drivetrain and a hybrid setup, trading absolute silence for longer range courtesy of a small combustion engine.
But Dreame’s automotive aspirations don’t stop at a single flagship. Inspired by Li Auto’s lineup, the company is already mapping out a family of premium crossovers with wheelbases stretching up to 3.3 metres. In China, these models are expected to slot into the 270,000 to 600,000 yuan bracket—roughly €40,000 to €80,000—though rumours point to an even broader portfolio under a new sub-brand called Starry.
The scale of ambition is matched by rapid expansion. Dreame has begun hiring not just from its traditional pool of consumer electronics engineers but from the established automotive world as well. Its patent activity reflects this pivot: of the 6,500 filings lodged to date, nearly half are tied directly to the EV sector.
Adding a final flourish to its credibility play, the company is planning a production hub for its flagship hypercar not in Shanghai or Shenzhen but in Germany, just outside Berlin and within sight of Tesla’s Gigafactory. And to reinforce the message, Dreame is already courting European banking circles for investment.
All of this is set to crystallise by year’s end, when the company promises to unveil its first working prototype at CES in the United States. Until then, one can only marvel at the audacity of a brand that began by sucking up dust and now dares to build a machine aimed at the automotive stratosphere. Some dreams are simply too wild not to chase.
