Xiaomi’s second model, YU7 SUV, will be unveiled on Thursday, May 22, at 7 p.m. Chinese time. It has been over a year since the launch of its first model, the SU7 sedan, and it will be the most important event of the year for the Beijing-based smartphone giant.

Rumours say that Lei Jun, Xiaomi CEO, later regretted the decision to make the first model a sedan. The ratio of sales of sedans vs SUVs in China is 1:3. So popular are SUVs in the Middle Kingdom. Despite this, SU7 sales were a massive success, and it basically sold out within 24 hours for the rest of the year when it launched in March 2024. Lei Jun chose a sedan as the first model, most likely because the core Xiaomi fans are tech-savvy young nerds. The SUV target group in China are usually young families. With this said, expectations from YU7 are high, and it will be another test for the Xiaomi marketing team.

The YU7 will be unveiled on Thursday, and the launch and delivery are expected in June or July. The car was supposed to debut at the Shanghai Auto Show in April, but following the deadly crash in which three girls died using Xiaomi’s autonomous driving software, Lei Jun went silent, didn’t attend the show, and quietly postponed the debut.

Based on information released by the regulator, we already know that it has a body size of 4999 mm long, 1996 mm wide, 1600 mm tall, and a 3000 mm wheelbase. It will have an AWD option with a 220 kW motor on the front axle and a 228 kW motor on the rear axle, with a combined output of 508 kW (681 hp) and a 253 km/h top speed. The single motor version will be FWD with 235 kW. The range will be between 670 km and 760 km CLTC.

If the SU7 is comparable to the Porsche Taycan, then the YU7 bears some resemblance to the Ferrari Purosangue. It has a long hood, lidar, 5-spoke wheels, and a curb weight of 2405 kg.

The interior was already officially unveiled, surprisingly different from the SU7. It has a large central control screen and a large panoramic HUD called HyperVision. What is interesting is a long cabin-wide letterbox screen right under the front windshield, which stretches from drive to passenger. Also, there is no driver’s display.

CaNewChina expects the price to be shockingly low, as usual for Xiaomi, with the base model starting around 260,000 yuan (36,100 USD).

YU7 will put a lot of pressure on the Xiaomi plant, which is already struggling to meet demand. However, this is also part of Lei Jun’s hunger marketing strategy, so it is not a big issue. Xiaomi will reportedly complete the second phase of its Beijing plant in mid-June. The plant is designed to have 300,000 an annual output once finished (first phase 150,000, second phase 150,000). The first phase was completed in 2023, and mass production of SU7 started in April 2024. In Jun 2024, the plant added a second shift.

But not everything is rainbows and butterflies. Xiaomi remained quiet during the Shanghai Auto Show due to a deadly accident that killed three girls, and wanted to introduce the YU7 in a more positive climate. However, over the last two weeks, the company has faced many accusations of low quality, high insurance costs, and the fake carbon fibre dual-duct on its flagship SU7 Ultra being only for decorative purposes (having zero impact on cooling).

We will keep an eye on the launch. Lei Jun definitely has some tricks up his sleeve to make the whole of China talk about the new car.