Xiaomi’s first vehicle, the SU7 electric sedan, was unveiled today to the European audience for the first time. Xiaomi’s president, Lu Weibing, said in an interview that the company targets 20 million premium users for its new EV.
The Xiaomi SU7 didn’t have its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show, which started today, as automotive fans might think, but at the 2024 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, where Xiaomi, as a smartphone and consumer electronic giant, feels much more at home.
However, the Geneva Motor Show wasn’t deprived of Chinese EV makers. The Xiaomi SU7 competitor IM launched its IM L6 premium sedan globally today. IM is a premium brand of state-owned SAIC, and its vehicles will come to Europe with an MG badge. SAIC takes the European market seriously, as it is the first time its EV had a public debut in Europe before China.
Lu Weibing posted a photo of SU7 in Gulf Blue from MWC on his Weibo with a caption: “Xiaomi SU7 has been launched at the MWC. Is it cool?” Later, he gave an interview with CNBC, saying, “We think it’s a good starting point for us in the premium segment because we already have 20 million premium users in China based on the smartphone.”
Weibing also believes that in 10 or 20 years, the electric vehicle market will be similar to today’s smartphone market, with the top five brands accounting for about 70% of the market share. There are currently about 100 EV builders in China.
The SU7 was unveiled on December 27 in China. The EV 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.
It supports 800V charging and can add 220 km of CLTC range in 5 minutes. The Qilin NMC battery from CATL has a capacity of 101 kWh, providing a maximum range of 800 km.
AWD version has 495 kW of power and 838 Nm torque, suitable for 0-100 km/h acceleration in 2.78 seconds and 265 km/h top speed. According to Xiaomi, SU7 has the lowest drag coefficient among production vehicles, only 0.195 Cd.
Weibing also confirmed that the deliveries of SU7 will start in the second quarter of the year, and the pricing will be unveiled soon. Xiaomi was previously nervous about pricing rumors as the company is known for offering high-end smartphones and gadgets for low prices. The CEO, Lei Jun, even had to step in and tame fans’ passions and manage expectations regarding the price.
During the SU7 unveiling conference, Jun appealed to fans to stop trolling with price guesses around 99,000 yuan (14,000 USD) or 149,000 yuan (20,000 USD) and to show some respect for the technology SU7 offers. CarNewsChina expects the price to be between 200,000 yuan and 300,000 yuan (28,000 – 42,000 USD).
Xiaomi SU7 will compete with the Porsche Taycan, IM L6, and Tesla Model S.
