Xiaomi SU7: the first electric brand complicates the task of Tesla and Porsche

This Thursday, Xiaomi officially introduced Xiaomi SU7, its first electric car. This is a sedan that boasts a top speed of 265 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 in 2.78 seconds and a range of up to 800 kilometers. Truly amazing numbers compared to other electric vehicles available on the market. But that is not all.

Lei Jun, the founder of the brand, assured that They spent just over 1,000 days developing this first car.. A figure that is also surprising given Xiaomi’s starting point – its first car – and the time it usually takes to develop a car from scratch.

Xiaomi SU7, yes, there is. just the first stone of construction. Lei Jun wants the company to be recognized as one of the world’s top five automakers within 15 to 20 years. This is a key aspiration, given both the complexity of the business and the many local and international competitors it will face – BYD, Tesla, Volkswagen and Toyota, among others.

Main characteristics of Xiaomi SU7

Xiaomi’s first electric car will be sold in two versions: Xiaomi SU7 and Xiaomi SU7 Max. The second of them has, among other things, a larger battery, a more advanced engine, a better braking system and a higher level of equipment.

Design inspired by Porsche and Tesla

Externally, Xiaomi SU7 aesthetically resembles the Porsche Taycan, the first electric car of the German brand. Especially in the front part – with the air intakes in front of the wheel arches – and in the side view. The car can be purchased in three colors: Aqua Blue (blue), Verdant Green (green) and Mineral Gray (gray).

When it comes to the body design, Xiaomi has implemented two technologies. The first of these is CTB (Cell to Body), which allows for better integration of the battery into the body of the Xiaomi SU7, increasing the overall available space and the rigidity of the build. On the other hand, the brand has developed a system similar to Tesla’s Gigacasting, where larger parts are produced using a pressing machine, reducing the overall number of parts and simplifying production.

The exterior design of the body has been designed with aerodynamics in mind, which is a decisive factor in increasing the vehicle’s range and performance. According to the brand, its aerodynamic coefficient is 0.195 in the case of the version without LiDAR, slightly surpassing the Tesla Model S Plaid in this area.

The interior of the Xiaomi SU7 will be dominated by a 56-inch head-up display, with large screens – a central 16.1-inch one, another in front of the driver for the dashboard and two 7.1-inch screens at the rear. and, of course, the HyperOS operating system introduced by the Chinese brand a few months ago – and which is gradually coming to many of its mobile phones. To move the interface and system, the brand chose the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip.

Finally, Xiaomi has also introduced autonomous driving systems called Xiaomi Pilot. This is based on LiDAR, computer vision and processing from Nvidia, which has been working on this type of system for years. This software, as revealed by the brand, will be capable of performing all types of tasks, from parking without a passenger on board to avoiding difficult obstacles while driving.

Xiaomi SU7 launch: date and price

Xiaomi does not want to reveal pricing details for now, although it has opened the booking process for the first units, known as Founder’s Edition. They will be delivered in February 2024.

For now, yes, Xiaomi SU7 will only be sold in China, the homeland of the brand. The brand hasn’t provided any details about the car’s possible international expansion, but given the regulatory differences between different regions, it seems difficult, at least in the short term, that we’ll see it spread to European roads.