There is no other country in the world that has so many electric cars like China. And the self feeling of the moment belongs to Xiaomia brand that was born as a manufacturer of cell phones and small appliances and that now has a waiting list for the sale of its first car.
The leadership of the Chinese automotive market is overwhelming, both due to the total number of new vehicles registered per year (2023 closed with 30 million units), and due to the growth of the electric car segment: in 2024 more than 10 million vehicles will be sold. units, while the rest of the world will reach 7 million. Part of that dominance comes from the technological forefront.
He SU7 Xiaomi is one of the exponents of that avant-garde. It was launched for sale in the Asian country in March and In the first 24 hours it exceeded 90,000 ordersquite a surprise for a company that was selling its first car.
They also quickly suffered a setback, since they did not expect such a reaction from the public and the demand overwhelmed them. That is why the waiting list reached up to 7 months to receive a copy. That made 55% of the people who had booked give up.
However, Lei Jun, CEO and founder of Xiaomi, has announced through his official account on X which has reached the impressive figure of 10,000 units of the SU7 manufactured in just 32 days, a truly unprecedented milestone within the industry. Today orders are consolidated at 75,723 vehicles.
He also shared other interesting facts. According to Lei Jun, of the new buyers of the SU7 there are 28% who are women and 29% currently drive an Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz. And 52% are Apple users
In any case, the characteristics and qualities of this model, which aims to compete with Tesla and Porsche, among others, continue to make people talk. In fact, it is the most sought-after model at the 2024 Beijing Motor Show, where the public queued for more than two hours to see this new phenomenon up close. Previously, driving tests have been scheduled until 3 in the morning.
Powerful and with up to 800 km of autonomy
Xiaomi became famous in China for offering products of very good quality and with an attractive design: in its stores you can find cell phones, small tool kits, vacuum cleaners and rice cooking machines, among many other gadgets.
Clearly cars are not a type of product that is in the same vein as those mentioned above, but the Chinese brand seems to have applied the same precepts: design and quality.
Due to size and proportions, the SU7 points directly to models such as the Tesla Model S or the Porsche Taycan. The lines of the Chinese model are so well done that more than one European company would like to offer a vehicle like this in its range.
Soft lines that create clean surfaces and generate harmonious proportions, define a attractive and contemporary modeldespite this SUV-dominated era.
Almost 5 meters long and 2 meters wide, with a 3 meter wheelbase, give it a unique posture. And beneath its sharp lines it hides a spacious interior and an impressive cargo capacity: 105 liters in the front trunk and 517 in the rear.
But the most impressive thing is in its running gear. The SU7 is available in three versions, with power levels ranging from 299 to 673 horsepower and with a maximum autonomy of homologation of 800 kilometers. The most powerful version, which has two motors, can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.78 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 265 km/h.
However, these tremendous numbers are not among the main arguments of interest for now. For Chinese users, the most relevant purchase arguments are the connectivity and intelligence of the brand.
The car is deeply integrated into the Xiaomi ecosystem and pairs natively with smartphones, tablets and also the company’s home appliances. For example, from the driving position, you can open the curtains in the living room of a house or start the washing machine.
The Chinese brand has called the operating system with which this vehicle has been equipped and which takes it to another dimension with the name HyperOS. Xiaomi has confirmed that the car equips Nvidia technology along with a LiDAR sensor, high-definition cameras, proximity sensors and other ultrasonic sensors that will make autonomous driving one of the best found in the industry.
Of course, everything is included in one of the strongest arguments of the SU7. In line with other Xiaomi products, this model is comparatively cheap compared to the competition: the range starts in China in $30,000about 4 thousand less than the Tesla Model 3, a smaller model.