Up close with the Xiaomi SU7 in Beijing - The hottest Chinese BEV of 2024?

Smartphone maker, Xiaomi, has pulled off what Apple gave up on, it launched its first-ever car, the Xiaomi SU7 battery electric vehicle (BEV).

Launched last month, the SU7 – pronounced “Soo-7” (I see a Cristiano Ronaldo connection there), is one of the biggest draws at Auto China 2024 with long queues snaking outside its booth.

As announced by Xiaomi in its Weibo profile earlier this month, 88,888 ‘firm orders’ of the SU7 have been made across the country, essentially selling out all 2024 units. In Chinese context, ‘firm orders’ meant customers have paid a non-refundable deposit to lock in their desired configurations.

The first 5,000 units with their own unique number called Founders Edition were delivered to customers this month and a few were spotted on Beijing roads where Auto China 2024 was held.

On the first day of Auto China 2024, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun’s arrival was met with throngs of fans who followed his every move, taking some of the spotlight away from the fully electric star of the show.

But let’s return to the car. Appearance-wise, the SU7 has a mix of McLaren in front and Porsche Taycan in its overall shape. It doesn’t come with any fancy features like side cameras as seen on the likes of the Honda Ye GT and looks like many of its Chinese BEV sedan peers but the SU7 brought much hype.

Even the interior is traditional by BEV standards with numerous buttons, switches, and knobs placed inside. A 16.1-inch infotainment screen powered by Xiaomi Hyper OS sits in the centre and supports wireless Apple CarPlay while toggle buttons below it allow a multitude of configuration options.

The SU7 is made under contract in a plant that is owned by Malaysia-bound BAIC in Beijing and is available in 3 variants – Standard, Pro, and Max.

The Standard and Pro variants are powered by a rear-mounted electric motor (295 PS/400 Nm) with the former juiced up by a 73.6-kWh battery that provides a 700-km range (CLTC).

The SU7 Pro sports a larger 94.3-kWh battery and offers 830 km on a single charge (CLTC).

The performance-oriented SU7 Max has two electric motors on each axle (all-wheel drive, AWD) that make 673 PS and 838 Nm combined. This is linked to a 101-kWh battery and offers a CLTC-rated range of 800 km.

Xiaomi is not the only Chinese smartphone or tech producer that entered the automotive market, but it is the only one to have set up on its own. There is Aito which is a collaboration between Huawei and Seres as well as Jiyue which is founded by Geely and Baidu. The latter’s booth is located opposite Xiaomi’s at Auto China 2024.

For now, there are no plans for Xiaomi to enter global markets – both Aito and Jiyue also remain China-only. Prices for the Xiaomi SU7 BEV range between CNY 215,900 to CNY 299,900 (~RM 141k-196k).

Also read: With test drive queues up till 3 am, Xiaomi SU7 BEV is completely sold out for 2024