It can be said that Xiaomi has been speed-running the development of its first-ever car. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer announced plans to make it in March 2021 and the EV went on sale earlier this year. We recently had a chance to interact with the actual car in India, and here’s all you need to know.
Design
For this project, Xiaomi roped in Li Tianyuan, a former BMW designer famous for his work on the iX electric SUV. Another BMW connection worth mentioning is that Xiaomi hired former BMW design head Chris Bangle as a consultant on the project.
.jpg&c=0&w=700 "Xiaomi SU7 max")
From the design, it is clear that Xiaomi has taken inspiration from other electric sedans like the Porsche Taycan and the Tesla Model S (even though this will rival the Model 3 internationally). The headlights are reminiscent of the McLaren 720S and the overall sedan proportions are aided by the tinted rear glass and adjustable rear spoiler. It rides on 19-inch alloy wheels and gets frameless doors. Xiaomi sells the SU7 in a variety of colours: Meteor Blue, Radiant Purple, Basalt Grey, Lava Orange, Pearl White and Diamond Black.
Features
As expected from a Chinese EV, the Xiaomi SU7 is loaded with features. To enter the car, there’s no key as such, rather there’s an NFC card. The steering wheel gets a heating function and there’s also a 7.1-inch flip-up screen that greets you when the car is switched on. The front seats are electrically adjustable and come with ventilation and heating functions.
.jpg&c=0&w=700 "Xiaomi SU7 max interior screen")
The massive 16.1-inch infotainment screen is powered by Xiaomi’s Hyper OS which provided a glitch-free experience when we used it. We didn’t really get to fiddle around too much due to the fact that the system language was set to Chinese, and no one could change it. The overall quality of the cabin is not poor by any standard, and what aids that feeling are the soft close doors.
ADAS
An advantage that Xiaomi holds over traditional car companies is its expertise in the tech space. It uses one LIDAR (the camel-like hump above the windshield) and eleven high-definition cameras all over the car to allow for ADAS level 2 capabilities.
Powertrain
.jpg&c=0&w=700 "Xiaomi SU7 max")
The SU7 is available with various motor configurations but the one we go there in India is the SU7 Max, an all-wheel-drive variant that gets two electric motors; an induction motor at the front and an asynchronous motor at the rear. The total power output stands at 673hp and 838Nm which allows the EV to go from 0-100kph in 2.78 seconds. It gets a 101kWh NMC battery that gives an 800km range as per the Chinese test cycle.
India launch and price
The Xiaomi SU7 is currently on sale only in China with prices ranging from ¥215,900 to ¥299,900 (Rs 25.4 lakh to Rs 35.3 lakh). Speaking to company officials, they disclosed that there are no plans to currently expand to other countries, at least for a few years, but it could come to India in the future. What we were told is that Xiaomi is looking to first ensure that the product is solid before looking at expansion, an approach that they also used with its smartphones.
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