- The follow-up to the SU7 takes on the globally-popular SUV body shape
- It boasts larger batteries and more power than the Tesla Model Y
- Xiaomi says the YU7 will go on sale in China next year
Chinese smartphone and technology manufacturer Xiaomi has proven it can make waves in the electric vehicle market with the runaway success of its SU7 electric sedan – a high-performance Ultra version of which recently set a record around Germany’s Nurburgring.
Now, details and imagery of the brand’s debut SUV have been revealed via the company's Weibo site, alongside the name. Dubbed the YU7, the large SUV borrows several design cues from its sedan counterpart and features a nod to one its closest rivals in the nomenclature.
Tesla’s Model Y is clearly going to be Xiaomi’s number one target, with its newest vehicle tipped to offer battery sizes of 94.3kWh and 101kWh, which could equate to an all-electric range in excess of 400 miles on a single charge.
The YU7 is also longer and wider than the Tesla counterpart, boasting styling that is reminiscent of Ferrari’s Purosangue performance SUV, with hints of Porsche Macan at the rear. It’s certainly not the most original piece of design, but it’s arguably a more purposeful-looking EV than Tesla’s almost formless Model Y.
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s website, which publishes details of planned electric vehicle launches, suggested that the YU7 would receive a dual-motor powertrain that could offer a combined power output of 681bhp – almost 100hp more than the most potent Tesla Model Y Long Range Performance model.
There is currently no word on what the interior will look like, although we would expect it share many of its components (including its smartphone-derived technology) with the SU7 sister model. Xiaomi says deliveries of the YU7 will start in China next year.
Analysis: Xiaomi is shaking up the EV industry
Many scoffed at the thought of a smartphone-maker taking on some of the biggest names in the automotive game, but the company has proven that its domestic customers crave the absolute cutting-edge in technology.
The company had built and sold 10,000 SU7 models just 32 days after its initial announcement and then went on to hit its 100,000-unit sales target in 230 days. Since that point, it has out-sold Toyota in pure EV sales in China and has gone on to produce a 1,526hp, tri-motor performance version that out-gunned the most ferocious Porsche Taycan around Germany’s infamous Nurburgring.
Xiaomi is shaking up the market and the release of its long-awaited SUV model will only help bolster its sales. Tesla will likely be the most worried about the news, seeing as China has historically been one of its most successful markets.
But, like BYD, Nio and a whole host of fellow Chinese brands, it likely won’t be long before Xiaomi starts to look at other profitable global markets as it seeks expansion.
