Apple could have bailed on its plans to construct its personal EV, however a Chinese language competitor has accomplished the feat, and on paper, it has the makings to be one helluva first entry into the phase. Right this moment, Xiaomi formally launched its first-ever EV, the SU7 – decked out with superior battery tech, lightning-fast charging, and a mouth-watering vary – all for beginning MSRPs that can flip some heads. Oh, the smartphone producer launched a brand new cellphone mannequin to match the brand new EV as nicely.
Though Xiaomi is making its case as a real competitor out of the gate in EVs, it has lengthy been established as a trusted model in China, manufacturing electronics based mostly on an Web of Issues (IoT) platform, together with smartphones, apps, laptops, residence home equipment, and scooters.
After seeing a decline in shopper electronics gross sales within the final decade, Xiaomi began turning its sights elsewhere, brainstorming the way it may adapt its tech-savvy manufacturing experience towards new profitable ventures. It landed on EVs – a booming but saturated market in China.
By 2021, Xiaomi Car was integrated in China, and in two brief years, the corporate was boasting faster-than-expected progress. By November 2023, we caught our first glimpse of Xiaomi’s first EV mannequin – the SU7. A month later, the electronics firm had formally unveiled the SU7 as a challenger to Porsche and who else however Tesla.
In February, Xiaomi shared plans to launch the brand new SU7 EV in Q2 of this 12 months with hopes of capitalizing on its current military of 20 million smartphone customers. Right this moment, the EV has publicly emerged to a lot acclaim, garnering a formidable quantity of pre-orders in China in a really brief window.
Supply: Xiaomi Auto / Weibo
Xiaomi’s first-ever SU7 EV appears like reasonably priced residence run
Xiaomi held a reside launch occasion for the SU7 EV in China immediately, posted in its entirety to its Weibo web page. There’s numerous thrilling stuff to unfold right here, so let’s dig in.
The SU7 arrives at a size, width, and top of 4,997 mm, 1,963 mm, 1,440/1,455 mm, respectively, with a wheelbase of three,000 mm. Its dimension is corresponding to the Tesla Mannequin 3 (a transparent competitor), albeit longer and barely narrower. Extra on that in a minute.
Xiaomi shared that the SU7 EV can be bought in three completely different variants: Commonplace, Professional, and Max, in addition to a limited-run Founders Version of 5,000 items, of which Xiaomi states have been the primary constructed. The Commonplace and Professional trims sit atop a 400V platform, whereas the Max variant options an 800V platform, confirming hypothesis from leaked photos we reported again in July 2023. Right here’s how the trims differ on the spec sheet:
Xiaomi SU7 TrimStandardProMaxArchitecture400V400V800VPowertrainRWDRWDAWDBattery73.6 kWh BYD Blade94.3 kWh CATL Shenxing101 kWh CATL QilinCLTC Range700km (435 miles)830km (516 miles)800km (497 miles)Power299 hp (220 kW)299 hp (220 kW)673 hp (495 kW)Torque400 Nm400 Nm838 Nm0-100km/h Acceleration (0-62mph)5.28 seconds5.70 seconds2.78 secondsTop Speed210 km/h (130.5 mph)210 km/h (130.5 mph)265 km/h (165 mph)Quick Cost Time (10-80%)25 minutes30 minutes19 minutes15-minute DC charge350km (218 miles)350km (218 miles)510km (317 miles)
Along with spectacular specs, the brand new Xiaomi SU7 EV is decked out with superior know-how, together with a head-up show, Pilot Professional ADAS with imaginative and prescient (Pilot Max with imaginative and prescient and LiDAR on the highest two trims), a mini fridge add-on, and a Dolby Atmos sound system (Max trim).
What’s most attractive, nonetheless, is that future Xiaomi SU7 prospects will get the above perks for some ultra-competitive pricing abroad:
Xiaomi SU7 TrimStandardProMaxStarting MSRPRMB 215,900($29,875)RMB 245,900($34,000)RMB 299,900($41,500)
Keep in mind that point out of the Tesla Mannequin 3? It’s essential to level out that Xiaomi is clearly gunning for the American automaker with the launch of the SU7 EV. For instance, the Professional model of the SU7 prices the identical because the entry-level Mannequin 3 in China, with considerably higher specs. In actual fact, Xiaomi founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun pulled no punches in the course of the reside launch occasion earlier immediately:
Many individuals ask me who the Xiaomi SU7 is constructed for. My reply is, isn’t it time for Tesla Mannequin 3 customers to improve?
In collaboration with immediately’s EV occasion, Xiaomi additionally launched a brand new line of smartphones that work with the SU7, full in colours to match the car’s exteriors (seen above). The hype has been actual as far as Xiaomi opened up its books, reporting over 50,000 agency orders in simply 27 minutes.
Xiaomi says preliminary deliveries of the Commonplace and Professional trims of the SU7 EV will start in China in April, adopted by orders for the Max in late April. Belief we are going to do all the things we will to get a take a look at this new spectacular EV up shut quickly.
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