Dreaming of a fancy e car, but it's too expensive? A cheaper alternative is coming soon

SU7 stands for Speed Ultra 7. This is what the first Xiaomi's EV will be called, which may already next year claim to become a competitor to electric cars such as Tesla, Ford Mustang or Nio. What is known at this moment about the first Xiaomi electric vehicle and how much can it will cost?

Xiaomi is known for its relatively inexpensive smartphones and other connected home devices. In recent years, electric scooters of this brand have also become very popular, and now a Chinese corporation has set its sights on creating its own electric vehicle. The first leaked images of the Chinese E-car make us remember Tesla, which suggests that the Chinese brand has decided to compete with the electric cars of Elon Musk's corporation.

First images of Xiaomi's upcoming electric car were leaked online in November 2023. In photos attributed to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (CMIIT), we could see a large sedan with styling that's both similar to Tesla's electric cars and the Porsche Taycan.

At the end of October, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun announced on his Weibo account the company's plan to release its first electric car in 2024. "When the time is right, I will report to everyone," he wrote. According to a report by Gizmochina, The production of the Xiaomi SU7 series will begin in December 2023, and deliveries to China will likely begin in late winter 2024. There is no information yet about other markets.

On December 28, 2023б Xiaomi finally presented the first electric cars under its brand. Their presentation was made by the co-founder and CEO of Xiaomi, Lei Jun. "Xiaomi's goal is to create a dream car that is as good as Porsche and Tesla," Jun said.

There will be not one car, but a series of several modifications, and the first two of them are the base model SU7 and the premium SU7 Max. The base model will be rear-wheel drive and will be powered by Xiaomi's own 220 kilowatt engine. In 5.28 seconds the car will accelerate to a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, and on one battery charge it will be able to travel up to 668 kilometers. The maximum speed of the SU7 will be 265 kilometers per hour. The all-wheel drive SU7 Max will accelerate to 100 kilometers per hour in 2.78 seconds and can travel up to 800 kilometers on a single battery charge.

Xiaomi also presented the interior view of the car. The main display in the cabin has a 3K resolution and a diagonal of 16.1 inches. The other two 7.1-inch screens are located on the backs of the front seats for rear seat passengers.

It is also reported that the SU7 series will use LiDAR, a roof-mounted smart component to automate vehicle control, similar to what Google has used in its self-driving cars. It is logical to assume that it will use the company's latest proprietary operating system, HyperOS, which was released along with Xiaomi 14 in the fall of this year. Buyers will likely be able to choose whether to buy a car with or without this technology, which will also affect the price. Experts have also spotted a camera on the B-pillar in images of the car, suggesting possible support for face unlock.

According to leaks, the Xiaomi SU7 will be slightly larger than the Tesla Model 3: the Chinese e-car will supposedly have a length of 4997 mm, a width of 1963 mm and a height of 1455 mm, and its wheelbase reaches 3000 nm.

And what about the price of the upcoming EV? The starting price is rumoured to be around 149,000 Yuan (approximately $21,000). However, there is no official information about this, and it is worth waiting until next year to confirm all these expectations and leaks.