Xiaomi Enters Competitive EV Market with SU7 Launch, Offers Competitive Pricing Against Tesla

Xiaomi announced that within the first 27 minutes of accepting orders, the SU7 had already secured over 50,000 firm orders.

The Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has made a surprising entry into a highly competitive industry with the unveiling of its inaugural electric vehicle (EV) model.

At a launch event held today in Beijing, Xiaomi, headquartered there, introduced its SU7 electric sedan, priced to undercut Tesla’s Model 3 while offering enhanced features.

Xiaomi is presenting three variants of the SU7 — Standard, Pro, and Max — with initial prices starting at RMB 215,900 ($29,870), RMB 245,900, and RMB 299,900, respectively.

The starting price of the Xiaomi SU7 Pro matches that of the entry-level Model 3 in China, while the standard version is RMB 30,000 lower.

Customers can reserve their model starting at 10 pm Beijing time today by placing a refundable deposit of RMB 5,000, which can be refunded within seven days.

Deliveries of the Xiaomi SU7 are scheduled to commence at the end of April for the Standard and Max versions, and by the end of May for the Pro version.

Xiaomi is offering a limited Founders Edition of the SU7, capped at 5,000 units, at the same price as the Standard and Max editions, with deliveries starting on April 3.

These Founders Edition vehicles are the first batch produced, and customers can reserve them with a non-refundable deposit of RMB 20,000.

Customers who place their orders before May 1 can avail themselves of entitlements worth up to RMB 22,000.

“Many have asked me who the Xiaomi SU7 is designed for. My response is, isn’t it time for Tesla Model 3 users to consider an upgrade?” said Lei Jun, founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi, at the launch event today.

Approximately 10 minutes after opening orders for the SU7, Xiaomi announced at 10:10 pm that the model had received over 10,000 firm orders within four minutes and 20,000 firm orders within seven minutes.

By 10:29 pm, Xiaomi updated the tally of firm orders, revealing that the model had garnered 50,000 firm orders within the initial 27 minutes.

The Xiaomi SU7 is a mid-to-large-sized sedan, measuring 4,997 mm in length, 1,963 mm in width, 1,440/1,455 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm.

In comparison, the Tesla Model 3 available in China has dimensions of 4,720 mm in length, 1,848 mm in width, 1,442 mm in height, and a wheelbase of 2,875 mm.

The Standard and Pro versions of the Xiaomi SU7 are built on the standard 400 V platform, while the Max version operates on an 800 V platform.

The higher voltage platform enables faster charging, providing a range of 350 kilometers on a 15-minute charge for both the Standard and Pro versions, and 510 kilometers for the Max version.

The Xiaomi SU7 Standard version is equipped with BYD’s blade battery, featuring lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry with a capacity of 73.6 kWh and a CLTC range of 700 kilometers.

The Pro version is powered by Shenxing Battery from CATL, based on LFP chemistry with a capacity of 94.3 kWh and a CLTC range of 830 kilometers.

The Xiaomi SU7 Max runs on CATL Qilin Battery with a capacity of 101 kWh and a CLTC range of 800 kilometers.

The Standard and Pro variants of the Xiaomi SU7 are both single-motor rear-wheel-drive models, with 0-100 km/h times of 5.28 seconds and 5.7 seconds, respectively. The Max version, featuring dual motors, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.78 seconds.

In comparison, the Tesla Model 3, based on the standard 400 V platform, achieves a 0-100 km/h time of 6.1 seconds for the entry version, with a CLTC range of 606 kilometers. The dual-motor long-range version of the Model 3 boasts a 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds and a CLTC range of 713 kilometers.

Xiaomi’s intelligent driving system comprises Xiaomi Pilot Pro and Xiaomi Pilot Max, with the former employing a pure vision solution and the latter incorporating an additional LiDAR.

Xiaomi Pilot Pro utilizes a single Nvidia Drive Orin chip with 84 Tops of computing power, while Xiaomi Pilot Max integrates two Drive Orin chips with a combined computing power of 508 Tops.

The Xiaomi SU7 Standard edition is equipped with Xiaomi Pilot Pro, whereas the higher-tier versions feature the Xiaomi Pilot Max system.

Lei announced at the launch today that Xiaomi Pilot Max’s city pilot assisted driving feature NOA would undergo user testing in April, followed by availability in 10 cities in May and nationwide availability in August.