Late last year, Xiaomi launched a super-powerful racing version of the all-electric SU7, the SU7 Ultra, which was announced to have 1,548 hp, but that wasn’t the case. Customers complained that their car had less than 1,000 hp, so Xiaomi was forced to upgrade the software to correct its mistake.
The SU7 Ultra is powered by three electric motors with a total output of 1,548 hp (1,154 kW), which is enough to push the 1,900 kg car from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 1.97 seconds, 200 km/h in 5.97 seconds and 300 km/h in 15 seconds, with a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). It was its performance that attracted many customers who were disappointed after purchasing it.
After customer complaints, the company responded quickly by unleashing the car’s full power. “We value our community’s feedback and will be more transparent in the future,” the company said.
Manufacturers sometimes lock certain functions of the car, in order to differentiate equipment packages but also to increase profits, which is a fraud and a bad approach to customers.
On April 17, Xiaomi planned to unveil the long-announced YU7 SUV, but it still won’t happen. The reason is the recent accident involving their first all-electric SU7 car.
According to The Standard, Xiaomi has internally postponed the event without giving a new date, following a crash in late March that killed three people when its SU7 crashed into a concrete barrier at a construction site and caught fire. Reports say the car was on autopilot and was traveling at about 60 mph (97 km/h) at the time of the crash. The driver failed to regain control of the vehicle in time, leading to the fatal crash. The vehicle also reportedly lacked a laser lidar sensor for detecting its surroundings. A few days later, two people, passengers in the SU7, were killed in another accident when an electric motorcycle crashed into the car. In this case too, the autopilot was on, so the question arises of the reliability of the functioning of a system without sensors such as Lidar.
After these events, CEO Lei Jun did not advertise on social media, and the company said that it had provided the authorities with information about the car involved in the accident.
The YU7 will be 4,999 mm long, 1,996 mm wide and 1,600 mm high, with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm and will weigh 2,405 kg. It will be available with two batteries: the 96.3 kWh (NMC) will provide a range of 770, 760 and 675 kilometers, while the 101.7 kWh (NMC) battery will offer a range of 670, 750 and 760 kilometers. When it comes to the powertrain, the YU7 will be offered in single and dual electric motor options. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive version has a total power of 691 hp (508 kW) and a top speed of 253 km/h. There is also a weaker all-wheel-drive version with two electric motors with a total power of 489 hp (365 kW). The single-motor rear-wheel-drive version has 315 hp (235 kW) and offers a top speed of 240 km/h.
Since its launch, the Xiaomi SU7 has quickly become one of the major players in the Chinese electric car market. The demand for this car exceeded all expectations of the Chinese company, and the peak was in January when it managed to overtake the Tesla Model 3 in the domestic market. Now Xiaomi has marked another result, 200,000 units produced.
SU7 is produced in the Super Factory, which is almost fully robotized with more than 700 industrial robots, and only 20 employees. Under normal conditions, this factory can produce 40 cars every hour, which means that one car leaves the assembly line every 90 seconds. However, when the factory is operating at full capacity, it produces one SU7 every 76 seconds.
Xiaomi not only has fast car production, but also fast delivery. According to the data, the company delivered the first 100,000 cars in 229 days, while the other 100,000 reached their owners in just 119 days.
SU7 comes in three versions: SU7, SU7 Pro and SU7 Max. The standard version is powered by an electric motor with 299 hp (220 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque, and will have RWD. It will accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.28 seconds with a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph). It is equipped with a BYD Blade 73.6 kWh battery that provides a range of 700 kilometers, and costs $29,900.
The more powerful version, SU7 Pro is equipped with an 800V architecture, a 94.3 kWh battery that provides a range of 830 km, and costs $34,000. However, the most powerful version, Xiaomi SU7 Max, is really impressive. It is powered by two electric motors with a total output of 673 hp (495 kW) and 618 lb-ft (838 Nm) of torque, and has AWD. It reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.78 seconds with a top speed of 265 km/h (165 mph). It is equipped with the Xiami Pilot Max ADAS system, 800V architecture, and a CATI Qilin 101 kWh battery that enables a range of 800 km, or 510 km after a 15-minute charge. It costs $41,500.
After the SU7, Xiaomi released a racing version of this model, the SU7 Ultra, which follows the path of the standard model. According to Xiaomi’s report, 19,000 orders have been received so far, meaning some customers will have to wait two years for their cars.
In a few months, Xiaomi will launch its second car, the YU7, from which the company also has high expectations.
