More official pictures of the interior of the Xiaomi SU7 give a better idea about what to expect and the design inspiration behind the inside. Also just dropped is a new video showing winter testing of the car.
Although price and delivery commencement are still unknown more complete details about the Xiaomi SU7 grow by the day for what must be one of the most anticipated Chinese cars of 2024. Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun, has promised deliveries will commence in the first half of the year and the car is likely to be one of the stars at the Beijing Auto Show in April. Car News China expects prices to be around the 300,000 yuan (42,000 USD) mark.
Perhaps the biggest surprise about the Xiaomi SU7 is the presence of buttons and not just a minimum of them, all the more surprising seeing as Xiaomi is a tech company. Core design concepts are good-looking, intuitive, and human-vehicle integration and the SU7 has a human-centered inner-arc around the front occupants provided by a technological driving axis and human-machine interaction.
If that sounds too much like marketing speak what does it mean in practice? First off the inner arc wraps around the front occupants ensuring that all functions are in the most convenient and comfortable position. Supposedly the inner arc not only physically expands the space for passengers, making it more comfortable, but also gives passengers a psychological sense of space extension.
The arc goes from door to door through the steering wheel and along the dashboard. Positioning is meant to provide the occupants with the most comfortable static posture for the arms.
With the technological driving axis it means everything is centered through the middle of the three spoked flat-bottomed steering wheel. This line extends up through the digital speed readout on both the instrument panel and the wide-angle head up display.
According to Xiaomi when the driver sits in the SU7 the central axis of the driver coincides with the axis of technological driving, and that both the gaze movement and driving operation conforms to the body’s intuition and habits.
The Xiaomi SU7 adopts a floating dashboard design integrating the HUD, flip instrument panel and air outlets. Supposedly this means the volume of the components is smaller with the saved space being given over to the occupants.
Remember those buttons mentioned earlier? Well on the center console there are four rocker switches plus the Start/Stop button. These control from top: temperature, fan strength, electric rear wing and air suspension. Xiaomi Auto says that it believes that physical buttons are the most natural way for humans to interact with machines, and they are also the medium for establishing the emotional connection between people and vehicles. The rocker switches mean that they can be operated without being looked at with the controls being intuitive. However, the need for button for the electric rear wing seems questionable and even the one for air suspension is likely to only need occasional use.
Those are not the only buttons on the Xiaomi SU7. If you have a need for a feel you can add a whole row of physical switches underneath the touchscreen by a docking unit.
Winter fun
Lei Jun emphasized in the unveiling ceremony that Xiaomi aims to be the king of winter range and efficiency. A common problem with EVs is that range reduces significantly with low temperatures. Part of the solution for the Xiaomi SU7 is the in-house developed heat pump. In the video a couple of SU7 sedans tear up the snow and ice in extreme cold of -33°C near Heihe City in Nothern China during winter testing.
Source: Autohome
I wish the enigmatic Lei Jun well. It looks like he is ready to become a real trailblazer in the auto industry.
But if someone is looking for basic transportation, they should not go to Xiaomi, lest he be blown away by advanced forms of technology.
Trusting that Lei Jun has hired some veteran car people to keep the underlying powertrain, and suspension sound, then his (far advanced) approach to e-mobility may have success.
The car being named the SU7 indicates there shall be more to come. I expect a SU3 as a perfectly capable daily commuter.
Yes I think we can assume there must be more SU cars to come.
I think though SU would have been a much better name for an SUV than a sedan.
The brand is definitely the one to watch this year.
Made in China ,you know
The Car News China website name is a bit of a give away with that..
Paying extra for a row of buttons in your car – what a time to be alive, haha. Still a good idea though.
At least you actually get something physical unlike the paywall to unlock a feature which your car already has like seat heating..
Exactly my point. You’re paying for something that should be there in the first place. 🙂