Dreame has effectively shut down its automotive division, ending its short-lived ambition to produce a rocket-powered car. The company鈥檚 "Project Starry Sky" unit, which once employed more than 1,000 people, is now down to a handful of legal and HR staff tasked with winding down operations, according to CarNewsChina. Dreame issued a statement saying it recently adjusted certain exploratory operations and will now focus on smart home, outdoor and garden, smart mobility, and embodied AI. The company did not respond to a request for further comment.
The news follows a splashy debut earlier this year, when Dreame unveiled the "Nebula Next 01 Jet Edition" at a San Francisco expo. That concept car was a sleek design featuring two rocket engines that the company claimed could propel it from 0 to 60 mph in 0.9 seconds. Dreame also touted a sulfide-based solid-state battery with an energy density exceeding 450 Wh/kg and a range of over 550 kilometers, or about 341.7 miles. The boosters were said to deliver 100 kilo-Newtons of force.
But industry observers and former employees have raised serious doubts about the concept鈥檚 viability. Former staff told China Economy that the car shown in San Francisco lacked an actual chassis and was driven by remote control. While concept cars are rarely fully functional, the level of deception here was notable, as the vehicle was effectively a shell with no real mechanical underpinnings.
For those who follow the auto-tech space, the collapse of Dreame鈥檚 car project is unsurprising. The company, known primarily for robotic vacuums and other home appliances, had no prior experience building automobiles. This pattern echoes Faraday Future, another Chinese company that made grandiose promises about electric and autonomous vehicles nearly a decade ago and later faced accusations that its self-driving demo cars were operated via offstage remote control.
The U.S. angle is clear: Dreame used a San Francisco expo to market a vehicle to American audiences, a common tactic for foreign firms seeking buzz and investment. But without a functional prototype, let alone a production plan, the project was never a real contender in the U.S. auto market. The company鈥檚 retreat from automotive work leaves its remaining business areas - including smart mobility, which could still involve electric scooters or similar devices - as its path forward.
The story of the Nebula Next 01 Jet Edition is now a cautionary tale about vaporware in the tech industry. A car that was obviously not real has now been confirmed as not real. Dreame鈥檚 pivot away from automotive exploration suggests the company is cutting its losses and returning to the products it actually makes.
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