QUICK SUMMARY
Xiaomi has revealed its latest electric car. Called the YU7, the car is a direct rival to the Tesla Model Y and promises a range of up to 519 miles.
Expected to be priced from the equivalent of around £35,000, the Xiaomi YU7 is due to go on sale in China in July.
Tech company-turned-EV-maker Xiaomi has just revealed its latest car. It’s called the YU7 and it’s an electric SUV positioned to directly rival the Tesla Model Y.
The long bonnet and muscular haunches give the YU7 a hint of Ferrari Purosangue, and even though this Chinese EV is operating in an entirely different market to that car, Xiaomi’s styling should be applauded. I think it looks fantastic.
Xiaomi says the YU7 has a range of up to 519 miles, although that’s using China’s CLTC range calculation, which tends to be more generous than the WLTP figures used in Europe and the EPA equivalent in the US. Either way, it’s a huge figure and one that should raise an eyebrow at Tesla, whose new Model Y has a WLTP range of up to 387 miles.
The YU7 has a maximum power output of 508 kW (681 horsepower) and can sprint to 62 mph in a claimed 3.23 seconds; top speed is said to be just over 155 mph. This car comes after the SU7, an electric saloon to rival the Porsche Taycan and which Xioami has already sold over 200,000 examples of.
There will be three versions of the YU7, which is only available in China for now. The base model, called the Standard, has a single motor driving the rear wheels, a 96.3 kWh battery, 316 horsepower and a range of 519 miles. The mid-tier car is called the Pro and has two motors for all-wheel-drive. This car has the same battery as the Standard, a slightly quicker 0-62 mph time (4.27 seconds vs 5.88), 489 horsepower and a range of 479 miles.
Lastly there’s the YU7 Max, which also has two motors but features a slightly larger 101.7 kWh battery, a range of 472 miles, 681 horsepower and a 0-62 mph time of 3.23 seconds.
The YU7 has an 800-volt electrical architecture that allows for rapid charging. Xiaomi says the battery can be filled from 10 to 80 percent in just 12 minutes, or that 385 miles of range can be added in as little as 15 minutes.
Inside, the car has a digital display installed at the foot of the windscreen and which stretches across the entire width of the dashboard. There’s also a large touchscreen for the infotainment system, and two more displays on the back of the rear for rear-seat passenger entertainment. Rear passengers also have access to a central touchscreen for climate control.
Other tech highlights include standard-fit Lidar for a driver assistance system powered by the latest generation of Nvidia Drive AGX Thor car computing platform. Xiaomi says the car’s Lidar can help it see up to 200 metres ahead, while upgraded radar helps it identify pedestrians from 100 metres.
Available exclusively in China (at least for now), the Xiaomi YU7 will go on sale in July, but prices have yet to be announced. It is expected to start from the equivalent of just £35,000.
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