Xiaomi’s First Electric Car, The SU7, Is Sleek And Quicker Than You’d Expect

• Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan revealed – Xiaomi’s first EV ever.

• The four-door, four-seater electric sedan gets a minimalist cabin.

• Feature highlights include a 16.1-inch infotainment system and rear entertainment displays.

• Comes in two powertrain guise: 299 PS rear-wheel-drive and 673 PS all-wheel-drive.

• All-wheel drive powertrain boasts a range of 800 km and a 0-100 kmph time of 2.78 seconds

• No news on an India launch as of now.

It isn’t everyday that a new brand enters the automotive market, forget a company that specialises in making smartphones. But in an occurrence as rare as a solar eclipse, the Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi, has just revealed its first electric car - the SU7. The four-door electric sedan takes its aim at electric giants like Porsche and Tesla, and it has some serious firepower to back its fight up. Let’s see what the Xiaomi SU7 is all about:

Xiaomi SU7 Design

The 5-metre (4,997mm, to be precise) sedan seems to take inspiration from multiple global models. There’a hint of the Porsche Taycan in its silhouette, and a bit of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 as well. There isn’t a lot going on in terms of design at the front. 

There’s a simple air dam, flanked by vents, likely for channelling air and increasing efficiency. The muscular haunches on either side of the bonnet add character in the while the profile is defined by its coupe-like smooth, but sloping roofline. There’s snazzy Lamborghini-inspired alloys as well, while the rear seems to imitate a conventionally omnipresent modern sedan. 

But you do get a spoiler that sits flush with the bonnet, while the bumper gets two big diffuser like elements that add up and up the SU7’s sporty quotient from the rear. While the overall design is sporty, it is nowhere near appropriate for the performance numbers this thing sports. We’ll get to that in a bit. 

Oh, and lest we forget, it also boasts an impressive boot space of 517 litres. That’s proper full-size SUV level!

Xiaomi SU7 Cabin

Just like most new EVs, and like the SU7’s direct competitor (Tesla), Xiaomi has opted for a minimalistic cabin that revolves around the huge 16.1-inch monitor-like touchscreen system. Separating the passengers is a thick central console with multiple storage spaces and physical buttons for various functions.

The driver gets a rather sporty looking three-spoke steering wheel with dials like you see in a Porsche 911 GT3 and a slim digital driver’s display. For features, you get a 25-speaker sound system, 56-inch heads-up display, two dedicated screens for the rear passengers, ADAS features, a full glass roof (that beats a panoramic sunroof any day of the week) and much more.

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For people wanting to spec their cabin vibe, the SU7 will offer multiple theme options as well - red and black, white and black, and an all-black cabin.

Xiaomi SU7 Powertrain

Xiaomi will offer the SU7 in two guises: rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive. While both the drivetrains have impressive specifications, the latter exceed successfully in a bid to impress spec geeks. Over 800 km of claimed range on a single charge and a 0-100 kmph time of just 2.78 seconds – those numbers are a force to be reckoned with.   

Being based on a 800 V infrastructure, you bet the charging speeds are going to be electrifying, literally. No wonder the presentation had direct comparison with the likes of the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S.

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A launch timeline for the SU7 hasn’t been divulged just yet, but a launch in China first could be followed by a launch in other countries as well. An India launch could be on the cards in 2025, but no confirmation just yet. The Xiaomi SU7 is a direct rival to the likes of the Porche Taycan, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Tesla Model S.