Tag Archives: Xiaomi

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Xiaomi Wants to Be a Top-Five Carmaker – and Europe’s Next Battleground

It wasn’t long ago that Xiaomi was best known for flogging bargain smartphones with suspiciously Apple-like vibes. Fast-forward to 2023 and the Chinese tech giant has suddenly decided it’s a car company – and not just any car company. Nope, Xiaomi wants to be one of the world’s top five carmakers. Bold, considering it’s only built two cars so far. But in China, the brand is already on a tear: more than 80,000 deliveries last quarter, a near-200% annual jump, and a backlog so long you’d be forgiven for thinking they were Birkin handbags, not SUVs.

At the centre of this hype is the SU7 saloon, Xiaomi’s first proper EV – and one benchmarked not against budget runabouts, but the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S. Because why start small when you can shoot straight for the Nürburgring? In fact, the company even went ahead and built a 1527bhp “Ultra” version that’s already broken EV lap records there. So, yes, Xiaomi is serious.

Then came the YU7 SUV, which looks like a Tesla Model Y on steroids and is racking up waiting lists north of a year. Orders? A staggering 240,000 within 18 hours of launch. That’s the population of Southampton. And people wonder why the factory in Beijing is creaking like an overworked espresso machine.

The scale of demand is so overwhelming that CEO Lei Jun had to tell customers who couldn’t bear the wait to… well, go buy someone else’s car. Not just any someone, either. He actually recommended the Tesla Model Y and rival Chinese EVs like the Xpeng G7 and Li Auto i8. Imagine Mercedes telling you to go buy a BMW if you can’t wait six months.

Still, the money is rolling in – Xiaomi’s EV division pulled in over £2 billion last quarter – though after a £3 billion splurge to get the thing off the ground, profitability remains more of a concept than a reality.

And now? Now comes the ambitious bit: Xiaomi Auto is eyeing up Europe. By 2027, the SU7 and YU7 are expected to land on our shores, likely with a shinier, more premium price tag to match their Taycan-rivalling specs. The SU7 already offers up to 664bhp and nearly 500 miles of claimed range, while the YU7 SUV stretches that to an eyebrow-raising 519 miles (CLTC, so pinch of salt required). Rear- or twin-motor layouts, various battery sizes, all the digital bells and whistles you’d expect from a tech company turned carmaker – Xiaomi’s recipe is clear: lure in gadget-loving petrolheads who can no longer afford petrol.

But here’s the real kicker. Europe may also get the SU7 Ultra, the fire-breathing, Nürburgring-shredding 1527bhp super-saloon that exists solely to melt tyres and terrify Taycans. Think of it as Xiaomi’s iPhone X moment – pure halo, pure hype.

What about Xiaomi’s next car, the YU9 SUV with its range-extender engine? Don’t hold your breath. The brand seems more interested in dazzling Europe with its pure EVs before wheeling out something that smells faintly of petrol.

So, is Xiaomi about to storm Europe the way it did the smartphone market? Well, it has the numbers, the tech, and apparently the Nürburgring lap times. What it doesn’t quite have yet is the production capacity to keep up. And unlike phones, you can’t just queue online at midnight and have DHL drop off 1.8 tonnes of aluminium and lithium on your doorstep the next day.

Still, when the SU7 finally does roll up in Europe, Porsche and Tesla might find themselves with an entirely new rival – one that once upon a time just made cheap chargers and earbuds. And that, frankly, is properly brilliant.

Source: Xiaomi

News

Xiaomi YU7 Max Brakes Catch Fire on Track – Performance or Problem?

After the SU7’s strong Nürburgring performance and the overwhelming demand for the new YU7 SUV—with 289,000 pre-orders—the tech giant seemed to be on a fast track to EV dominance. But over the weekend, a viral video raised serious questions about the limits of Xiaomi’s performance engineering.

The footage, captured at a race track and quickly circulating across social media, shows the high-performance YU7 Max SUV with brakes engulfed in flames while stationary in the pit lane. With 682 horsepower (691 kW) and 866 Nm of torque, the YU7 Max is no lightweight. But with that kind of output, braking systems must match the performance—and in this instance, they may have met their limits.

In the video, a technician is seen standing just inches from the glowing calipers while measuring temperatures. The reading: a staggering 619°C. Flames visibly lick the wheel wells, prompting immediate concern from enthusiasts and experts alike.

Xiaomi was quick to respond, attributing the dramatic display to “organic materials in the brake linings.” According to the company, temperatures above 600°C are “completely normal” under extreme conditions and do not affect brake functionality. They also pointed fingers at improper brake usage by the test driver.

The YU7 Max is fitted with a regenerative braking system tied to its “Master Mode”, a setting that enables deceleration of up to 0.2 G using energy recovery alone. When used correctly, this mode minimizes reliance on conventional brakes. However, Xiaomi claims that in this particular case, the driver failed to engage regenerative braking effectively, putting full stress on the traditional system—especially significant given the vehicle’s 2 to 3-ton mass.

Yet, this isn’t the first time Xiaomi has faced questions about its braking systems. Late last year, two SU7 sedans were involved in serious accidents after alleged total brake failure, reportedly due to the use of components not designed for high-stress, high-speed driving environments like race tracks.

So, is this a case of driver error, or an early warning of deeper engineering concerns?

With the EV market growing increasingly competitive, Xiaomi’s ability to balance performance, safety, and reliability will be critical. The company has captured the public’s imagination with sleek designs and impressive specs—but real-world durability and trustworthiness remain the ultimate test.

For now, Xiaomi insists the YU7 Max is performing as expected. But for performance enthusiasts and everyday buyers alike, brakes on fire—even in testing—are hard to ignore.

Source: 快看新聞 via YouTube

News

Xiaomi Blows Away Nürburgring Record with Insane SU7 Ultra Lap

Xiaomi may have only recently entered the automotive world, but it’s already sending shockwaves through one of the industry’s most sacred proving grounds: the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The tech giant returned to the legendary “Green Hell” to improve on a record it had already set—and left with something even more impressive.

Less than a year ago, Xiaomi stunned the industry by claiming a spot among the top five fastest electric cars around the Nürburgring. Its SU7 Ultra prototype clocked an already blistering time of 6:46.87, placing it firmly in the upper echelons of EV performance. That alone was enough to rattle the establishment, but Xiaomi wasn’t done.

Back on the 20.8 km-long torture test of a track, British driver David Pittard piloted an evolved version of the SU7 Ultra prototype to a jaw-dropping 6:22.091, slicing nearly 24 seconds off the previous best. For context, that beats the mighty Lotus Evija X prototype (6:24.04) and now ranks the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra as the third fastest car ever to lap the ’Ring—production-based or not.

To climb even higher in the rankings, Xiaomi would need to beat the Volkswagen ID.R’s 6:05.33 or somehow challenge the almost mythical 5:19.546 set by Timo Bernhard in the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo. That latter record, however, remains more dream than target, as it was set in what is essentially a Le Mans prototype on steroids.

But perhaps even more remarkable is what Xiaomi has accomplished with the production version of the SU7. Though heavier and less extreme than the prototype, it still lapped the Nürburgring in 7:04.957, making it the fastest production electric vehicle around the circuit. In doing so, it outpaced heavyweights like the Porsche Taycan and even the all-electric hypercar Rimac Nevera.

To commemorate this double victory, Xiaomi has announced two highly exclusive special editions aimed at enthusiasts and collectors alike.

SU7 Ultra Track Package

The first is the Track Package, a circuit-focused evolution of the SU7. Designed with Nürburgring data in mind, it boasts an upgraded battery optimized for high-output scenarios, enhanced thermal management, refined brakes, and custom-tuned suspension. All of this allows it to reach an eye-watering top speed of 350 km/h.

SU7 Nurburgring Edition

For those wanting the rarest of the rare, Xiaomi unveiled the SU7 Nürburgring Edition. Limited to just 10 units for 2025 and 100 units total, this version is not just a car—it’s a collector’s item. It features bespoke aerodynamic tweaks, underbody enhancements, and a stripped-down interior complete with a rear-seat-delete roll cage. Under the skin lies a tri-motor powertrain delivering a staggering 1,548 horsepower and 1,770 Nm of torque.

Source: Xiaomi

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Xiaomi Blows Away Nürburgring Record with Insane SU7 Ultra Lap