The smartphone giant Xiaomi officially launched its first car – the Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan. The EV has 875 V charging and a 101 kWh battery with CATL cells, providing a maximum range of 800 km. AWD version has 495 kW of power, good for 0-100 km/h acceleration in 2.78 seconds and 265 km/h top speed.
Xiaomi announced its car-making plans nearly three years ago in 2021, on March 30, when Lei Jun, the company’s CEO and founder, gave a public speech saying Xiaomi would invest 10 billion yuan (1.4 billion USD) into its car manufacturing business.
Today’s conference was held 1003 days after the initial announcement. The company previously claimed that the Xiaomi SU7 will start mass production in the first half of 2024. In late 2023, the SU7 spy shots and videos from testing began to leak online, and in November, MIIT revealed Xiaomi applied for a sales license in China, revealing the key specs of the car.
Today, Xiaomi has released two versions of their first EV: SU7 and SU7 Max. SU7 base model is rear-wheel drive (RWD) with Xiaomi’s in-house developed V6 motor with a maximum power of 220 kW and 400 Nm torque. It can sprint 0-100 km/h in 5.28 seconds. It will have a battery with 73.6 kWh capacity, providing a 668 km range under the CLTC (China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle) standard.
The performance version SU7 Max will be AWD equipped with dual motors with a maximum output of 495 kW and 838 Nm torque. The 0-100km/h acceleration is 2.78 seconds, and the top speed is 265 km/h. The EV can also do 0-200 km/h in 10.67 seconds. The CATL’s Qilin NMC battery has a capacity of 101 kWh and provides an 800 km CLTC range.
The battery can recharge 390 km in 10 minutes, more than the Tesla Model S Plaid. In 5 minutes, SU7 can add 220 km, and in 15 minutes, 510 km.
According to Xiaomi, the SU7 is a pretty aerodynamic car with a drag coefficient of only 0.195 Cd, the lowest among production vehicles. Lei Jun highlighted that the lidar, which sits on the top of the windshield, was inspired by the smooth design of a pebble. However, the model in the video showing the SU7 reaching 0.195 Cd is the version without lidar.
The SU7 sits on Xiaomi’s Modena platform and is slightly longer than the Porsche Taycan. The dimensions are 4997/1963/1455 mm (L/W/H), with a wheelbase of 3000 mm. The car has a sizeable 105-liter frunk and boot space with 517 liters.
The SU7 was designed by the team around Li Tianyuan, Xiaomi’s Head of Design, who joined the company from BMW, where he was responsible for the BMW i Vision Circular concept, BMW iX, and the new 7 series. The exterior designer is James Qiu, who joined Xioami from Mercedes-Benz, where he took care of Vision EQXX design.
Inside the car is a 16.1″ central control screen with 3k resolution, a 7.1″ instrument panel for the driver, and two screens in the rear for passengers, which are actually Xiaomi tablets called Mi Pads. Apple iPad is also compatible. Navigation can be screened on 56″ HUD. The cockpit operation system HyperOS is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295. The automated driving system (ADAS), Xiaomi Pilot, is powered by two Nvidia Orin-X chips with 508 TOPs computing power.
Xiaomi Pilot and HyperOS
Xiaomi Pilot ADAS will receive input from one lidar, 3 millimeter wave radars, 11 HD cameras, and 12 ultrasonic radars. The autonomous driving system includes highway driving, self-parking features, and car summoning. The city driving will be available by the end of 2024 in over 100 cities in China.
Before becoming one of the largest consumer electronic companies, Xiaomi was originally a software developer creating a modified Android ROM called MIUI. HyperOS will now replace MIUI and become an operations system for almost all gadgets in the Xiaomi ecosystem, including cars.
That implies the connectivity and integration experience will be unprecedented. Xiaomi promises the SU7 will be able to mirror your phone or tablet and easily pair with the Mi Watch, Mi Band, and Mi Home devices (cameras, Mi Robot Vacuum cleaner, etc.).
The best connectivity will be with Xiaomi-made gadgets. However, Lei Jun says that even with Apple products, users will have a great experience with Xiaomi cars.
Competitors
“Xiaomi wants to become the top 5 car company in the world in the next 15-20 years,” CEO Lei Jun said at the beginning of the conference. SU7 will compete with Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S in China. However, Xiaomi didn’t announce the price during the event. Lei Jun only commented: “Stop trolling; the car won’t be priced at 140,000 yuan (19,800 USD); show some respect for the technology behind the car.”
Carnewschina expects the base model’s price to start under 300,000 yuan (42,500 USD). Xiaomi didn’t tell us when the deliveries will start. According to Lei Jun, SU7 will begin mass production in H1 2024. We will keep an eye on it.
![People queue hours to see Xiaomi SU7 closer at Beijing Auto Show [Report]](https://carnewschina.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1714319094230-scaled.jpg)
140,000. 140,000
Exterior styling, with a profile similar to many, including:
Neta S
Dayun Yuanhang Y6
NIO ET7
Xpeng P7
Chang’an Uni V
Chery Exlantis
…….is Ho Hum at best.
Way behind now, if they want to catch up, get consumer attention and joint the (auto) best, then Xiaomi had better offer some unique technology tricks, that only they, can pull out of a hat.
Xiaomi have a phone range, cameras, scooters, robot vacuums.
They are not starting off new to technology
Their vacuums use Lidar, so they are hitting the ground running.
And importantly, an embedded international presence with service agreements, resellers, and bricks and mortar in many countries.
I think they are one to watch.