Europeans and North Americans are reeling in other – relaxed – spheres at the end of the year and some Chinese brands are taking advantage of this. Christmas is a celebration of love – a celebration of family – and not much happens until the New Year or even Epiphany on January 6th. Things look completely different in China, because it’s not just the tech companies there that have long been using the end of the year for major product presentations and impressive in-house trade fairs. And the car scene in China also likes to have a blast at the end of the year. Nio, for example, holds its big Nio Day every year shortly before Christmas and tech giant Xiaomi, whose products have long since overtaken established companies such as Sony, Apple and Google in many areas, caused a bang this time – on four wheels.
Xiaomi now also has a car. And contrary to what the name SU7 would suggest, it is not an SUV, but an aerodynamically shaped coupé sedan that competes against models such as the Audi Etron GT, Porsche Taycan or Tesla Model S. Market launch: probably at the end of 2024. When it comes to battery technology, driver assistance and electric drives, the Chinese tech group also wants to spread fear or terror in the car scene and attract customers to the brand, which has a decidedly innovative position. At the unveiling, Lei Jun, founder and CEO of the Xiaomi Group, chose a meaningful sentence from Chinese poetry to find the right words for the new star in the Chinese car sky: “With firm steps, we are crossing its summit.” According to Lei Jun, the entry of Xiaomi in the automotive industry a significant step from the smartphone industry to closing the loop of the intelligent ecosystem from the human x car x home triumvirate: “Xiaomi has decided to invest tenfold, starting from the development of fundamental core technologies, to create an outstanding vehicle build. In 15 to 20 years, Xiaomi wants to become one of the five largest automobile manufacturers in the world.” The words should be taken seriously because Xiaomi is now one of the largest manufacturers of electronic household appliances and smartphones – just 13 years after the company was founded .
The Chinese research and development team currently consists of over 3,400 engineers and more than a thousand technical experts from a wide range of areas. Many have had nothing to do with cars themselves. But even if Xiaomi, unlike some of its competitors, does not over-declare, the SU7 is a smart device on wheels – maximally networked and thus part of the triad symbiosis of people, house and car. The SU7 was developed with the help of well-known suppliers and is manufactured by contract manufacturer BAIC in China.
But the SU7 doesn’t just look good and is intelligently connected; he also wants to shine on the street. The electric drive of the top model delivers 425 kW / 578 hp and a maximum torque of 635 Nm. The electric four-door model accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 265 km/h. While many German manufacturers are making mistakes with their electric models when it comes to this image value, Xiaomi is very aware of the significance of the top speed. At least according to Xiaomi, the drive called “Hyper Engine V8s” is a truly high-tech engine. When it comes to cooling, the electric motors rely on bidirectional full oil cooling and an S-shaped oil circuit. A dual-cycle oil circuit is used for the stator, which doubles the heat dissipation area and achieves a cooling effect of up to 20 degrees Celsius.
A patented S-shaped oil circuit is used in the rotor part itself, which increases the heat dissipation surface by 50 percent and achieves a cooling effect of up to 30 degrees Celsius. In addition to the top engine, the Xiaomi SU7 is also available in two less powerful versions. The two entry-level models (Hyper Engine V6 / V6s) deliver 220 kW / 299 HP / 400 Nm and 275 kW / 374 HP / 500 Nm. The electric motors on the front and rear axles in all models are powered by a specially developed battery pack. The battery technology with so-called Inverted Cell Technology with an elastic intermediate layer reduces cabling and maximizes efficiency. The battery integration efficiency is 77.8 percent and the overall performance improves by almost a quarter. The special flat battery pack promises a theoretical charging range of over 1,200 kilometers with a maximum battery capacity of 150 kWh, at least according to the inclined China consumption format.
The Xiaomi models should also be gradually prepared for highly automated and then autonomous driving. However, you don’t see much of this in the interior of the SU7. The driver looks at a just 7.1-inch digital display behind the wheel, which is almost overwhelmed by the 56-inch head-up display above it. For convenience functions and navigation, there is a 16.1-inch central display and two holders on the backrests for rear displays. All five screens can be linked together using a Snapdragon 8295 in-car chip with particularly fast AI computing power. The on-board electronics are intended to set new standards in the automotive world, as all functions on the screens are available 1.5 seconds after the doors are opened. Stay tuned to see when and at what price the Xiaomi SU7 will come to Europe.
