Although Apple abandoned its aspirations to produce its own electric vehicle, a Chinese rival has succeeded in doing so, and on paper, it looks to be one amazing debut into the market. The SU7, Xiaomi’s first-ever EV, was formally unveiled today. Equipped with cutting-edge battery technology, lightning-fast charging, and an enticing range, it has a starting MSRP that is sure to draw attention. Oh, and the maker of smartphones unveiled a new phone model to go along with the new EV.
While Xiaomi is presenting itself as a serious contender in the EV market right now, the Chinese company has a long history of building reputable brands and producing gadgets based on Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, such as laptops, smartphones, apps, and home appliances.
Xiaomi began looking elsewhere after observing a fall in sales of consumer electronics over the previous ten years. It began to consider how it could use its tech-savvy manufacturing experience to other, profitable endeavors. It fell on electric vehicles, a growing but crowded sector in China.
After being formed in China in 2021, Xiaomi Automobile boasted of making faster-than-expected success in just two short years. The Xiaomi SU7, the company’s first electric vehicle, was originally shown to the public in November 2023. A month later, the electronics manufacturer formally debuted the SU7, positioning it as a rival to Tesla and Porsche.
Xiaomi said in February that it intended to release the new SU7 EV in Q2 of this year in an attempt to leverage its current user base of 20 million smartphones. The EV has now made its public debut to great praise, securing an astounding number of pre-orders in China in a very short period of time.
Xiaomi’s first-ever SU7 EV looks like affordable home run
Today, Xiaomi staged a live debut event for the SU7 EV in China, which was fully streamed live on Weibo. Let’s dive in; there’s a lot of exciting stuff to discover.
The SU7 has a wheelbase of 3,000 mm and measures 4,997 mm in length, 1,963 mm in width, and 1,440/1,455 mm in height. It is somewhat slimmer and longer than the Tesla Model 3, but otherwise about the same size as the obvious rival. About it, more in a moment.
The SU7 EV will be offered in three distinct versions—Standard, Pro, and Max—as well as a 5,000-unit limited-edition Founders Edition, which Xiaomi claims to be the first ever manufactured. As revealed in July 2023, smuggled pictures have confirmed that the Max variation has an 800V platform, while the Standard and Pro trims are positioned on a 400V base. The spec sheet shows how the trims differ as follows:
Xiaomi SU7 Trim | Standard | Pro | Max |
Architecture | 400V | 400V | 800V |
Powertrain | RWD | RWD | AWD |
Battery | 73.6 kWh BYD Blade | 94.3 kWh CATL Shenxing | 101 kWh CATL Qilin |
CLTC Range | 700km (435 miles) | 830km (516 miles) | 800km (497 miles) |
Power | 299 hp (220 kW) | 299 hp (220 kW) | 673 hp (495 kW) |
Torque | 400 Nm | 400 Nm | 838 Nm |
0-100km/h Acceleration (0-62mph) | 5.28 seconds | 5.70 seconds | 2.78 seconds |
Top Speed | 210 km/h (130.5 mph) | 210 km/h (130.5 mph) | 265 km/h (165 mph) |
Fast Charge Time (10-80%) | 25 minutes | 30 minutes | 19 minutes |
15-minute DC charge | 350km (218 miles) | 350km (218 miles) | 510km (317 miles) |
The new Xiaomi SU7 EV boasts amazing features along with cutting-edge technology, such as a head-up display, a mini fridge add-on, Pilot Pro ADAS with vision (Pilot Max with vision and LiDAR on the top two trims), and a Dolby Atmos sound system (Max trim).
The most alluring aspect, though, is that buyers of the Xiaomi SU7 in the future will receive the aforementioned benefits for extremely low international prices:
Xiaomi SU7 Trim | Standard | Pro | Max |
Starting MSRP | RMB 215,900 ($29,875) | RMB 245,900 ($34,000) | RMB 299,900 ($41,500) |
Recall the Tesla Model 3 discussion? It’s critical to note that Xiaomi is obviously aiming its introduction of the SU7 EV at the American automaker. For instance, in China, the SU7 Pro model, which has far higher specifications, costs the same as the Model 3, the entry-level model. Lei Jun, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi, really didn’t hold back at the live launch event earlier today:
I am asked a lot who the Xiaomi SU7 is intended for. I would respond, “Isn’t it time for owners of Tesla Model 3 to upgrade?”
Together with the EV event today, Xiaomi unveiled a new range of smartphones compatible with the SU7, all of which come in hues that complement the exteriors of the cars (as shown above). Since Xiaomi started for business and reported receiving over 50,000 definite orders in just 27 minutes, the excitement has been genuine thus far.
According to Xiaomi, orders for the Max will be taken in late April, after which the Standard and Pro trims of the SU7 EV will start to be delivered in China in April. You can be sure we’ll exert every effort to soon have a close-up look at this stunning new EV.