Xiaomi Auto’s sweeping recall in China has shaken the market, exposing more than a technical glitch. Beneath the surface lies a widening strategic rift in the global auto industry. Legacy giants from Europe, the US, Japan, and South Korea are locked in a race against China’s new-energy insurgents led by companies like Xiaomi Auto. It’s a tortoise-and-hare contest in autonomous driving, with each camp following sharply divergent strategies.