Xiaomi said on Wednesday its 500,000th vehicle has left the assembly line at its auto plant in Beijing’s economic development zone, marking a major milestone for the smartphone maker’s fast-growing car unit.

Founder and CEO Lei Jun said in a social media post that Xiaomi reached the production milestone just over one year and seven months after its first car rolled out, underscoring rising consumer acceptance of the brand. He said the company is entering a new phase of scaled manufacturing as it expands its presence in China’s competitive electric-vehicle market.