In an embarrassing mishap that has set automotive social media abuzz, a popular car reviewer known as “Second Brother” (二师兄) accidentally released a test drive video of the highly anticipated Xiaomi YU7 SUV before its official launch.

The video, which was published at 10 AM rather than the intended 10 PM release time, showcased the YU7’s exterior design, interior features, and heads-up display (HUD) functionality. The timing error has sparked widespread speculation about potential contractual penalties, with some netizens suggesting the blogger could face a hefty 5 million yuan (695,000 USD) fine for the unauthorised early release.

While the original video has since been taken down, numerous other content creators have already begun redistributing clips across various video platforms, spreading details about the vehicle before its official unveiling.

One notable feature revealed in the leaked test drive was the YU7’s external voice control capabilities. This aligns with information shared by Xiaomi founder, Chairman and CEO Lei Jun on June 24th via Weibo, who disclosed that the YU7 has eight microphones and one speaker on the exterior, enabling users to control vehicle functions through voice commands from any angle. For example, owners can open the front trunk using voice instructions while standing outside the vehicle. The external voice assistant requires both voice recognition and key verification for security purposes.

The Xiaomi YU7 is positioned as a high-performance SUV targeting competitors like the Tesla Model Y. Set for official launch on June 26th at 7:00 PM, the vehicle will be available in three versions: Standard, Pro, and Max.

The Standard version features a single-motor rear-wheel drive with 320 horsepower, achieving 0-100 km/h acceleration in 5.88 seconds with a CLTC range of 835km. The Pro version offers dual-motor all-wheel drive, producing 496 horsepower, with 4.27-second acceleration and 770km range. The top-tier Max version boasts dual-motor high-performance all-wheel drive delivering 690 horsepower, accelerating from 0-100 km/h in just 3.23 seconds, with a 760km range.

All models have Xiaomi’s 10-million-pixel Clips driving assistance system, 700 TOPS computing power, 2200MPa ultra-strong steel, 800V silicon carbide high-voltage platform, LiDAR, and Xiaomi’s panoramic display.

While pricing hasn’t been officially announced, Lei Jun has disputed online rumours suggesting the YU7 Standard version would be priced 20,000-30,000 yuan (27,800-41,700 USD) higher than the SU7 Standard. He emphasised that the YU7 Standard features premium configurations comparable to competitors’ Max or Ultra versions.

Editor’s comment

Although the original video is no longer available, it has been downloaded and widely circulated online. It can be easily found by searching for the relevant keywords “二师兄YU7试驾视频”. Here’s an example that was accessible at the time of this publication; naturally, the video is in Chinese.