Xiaomi's all-electric sportscar turns up in the unlikeliest of places

Xiaomi stunned the tech world in 2024 when it announced the Xiaomi SU7, its first electric car. We’ve since seen that expand to the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and now you’ll get the chance to drive it – if you happen to own Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5.

Gran Turismo has been a draw for auto brands for many years, with the likes of Bulgari launching a watch collaboration in cahoots with the game, while the Vision Gran Turismo programme invited car manufacturers to design concept cars for the game.

That’s seen the birth of cars like the Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo and concepts like the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo coming to life.

Gran Turismo has been a digital playground, not only giving fans access to realistic cars to drive, but giving car makers an interactive billboard for their future designs or most exciting models. It makes perfect sense that Xiaomi would burst onto the scene with the SU7 Ultra, to increase its exposure to fans of fast cars.

This is the first time that Xiaomi has featured in the game, which isn’t surprising considering that it only jumped into the world of electric cars in 2024. For Xiaomi, it’s a chance to rub shoulders with the likes of Porsche on the virtual track and let tech fans take a look.

“I am deeply moved by Xiaomi’s courage, curiosity, passion, and relentless dedication to realising such milestones. This spirit resonates profoundly with Gran Turismo and Polyphony Digital’s philosophy," said Kazunori Yamauchi, the creator of the Gran Turismo game series.

The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra has a tri-motor configuration (designed by Xiaomi itself), with a top speed over 215mph and an eye watering 0-62mph time of 1.98 seconds. In a slightly tongue in cheek move, Xiaomi names its electric motors after combustion configurations, with the SU7 Ultra featuring two V8s motors and one V6s motor.

At launch, the design of the car was likened to the Porsche Taycan, while also looking to better Porsche in performance too. It comes in much cheaper than the sports car maker from Stuttgart, presenting something of a problem for established brands.

The Xiaomi SU7 is on sale in China where it’s been in high demand, with reports that waiting times are quite long. However, it’s clear that Xiaomi has global plans for the electric cars. It’s suggested that the Xiaomi SU7 could cost around €60,000 in Europe, quite a bump from the €28,000 price in China, but you can expect it to face a range of tariffs and taxes.

Xiaomi’s debut in Gran Turismo 7 will likely widen awareness of this segment disruptor, giving more people a chance to experience what it has to offer and likely increase demand in the real world too.

Gran Turismo 7 is available on PlayStation 5 and if you want the ultra experience, then play it on the PS5 Pro.