As multi-lane roadways in Beijing turned into rivers on Wednesday and traffic came to a standstill with cars partially submerged, Xiaomi Auto was already pushing a service activation across its entire owner fleet — free 24-hour roadside rescue and complimentary wading and flood-damage inspections for every Xiaomi vehicle owner in the affected region. The announcement came from CEO Lei Jun within hours of the city hitting its worst flooding in recent years, and it happened without a single dealer phone call or field coordination meeting. That gap — between what a connected-car platform can do and what a traditional dealer network can do in an emergency — is the real story behind the announcement. Beijing activated a Level II flood-control emergency response at 9 a.m. Tuesday, August 11 — the second-highest alert level — as Typhoon Dolphin's inland remnants pushed more than 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) of rain into the capital within six hours, with forecasters warning of more than 150 millimeters (5.9 inches) over 24 hours. The city mobilized more than 23,000 emergency personnel and deployed over 2,000 sets of machinery and vehicles. To ease the commuter crush, designated bus lanes were temporarily opened to all vehicles, while 250 bus routes were suspended outright and 10 subway lines ran at reduced speeds. Typhoon Dolphin's Record-Setting Path to Beijing The storm system that flooded Beijing began life as a tropical depression in the central Pacific in late July — historically unprecedented in its origin point, according to China's National Meteorological Center. Typhoon Dolphin traveled nearly 6,000 km (3,728 miles) before making landfall in Zhejiang Province over the weekend, making it the longest-tracking Western Pacific typhoon on record to strike China at typhoon intensity. It was also the 13th typhoon of 2026 and the strongest to hit China this year, peaking