With the SU7 EV, Xiaomi is now also a carmaker

Smartphone-maker Xiaomi has entered the auto industry and aims to be among the top 5 carmakers in 15 – 20 years

In the 21^st century, making cars is no longer a business which is restricted to companies which started their business in the auto industry. Electrification has not only changed the way cars are powered but also the way they are designed and built. While engineering remains a core element, there is also substantial use of electronic systems and this is where non-automotive companies have the expertise.

Today’s electric vehicles (EVs) are already seen as ‘computers on wheels’ and even as ‘smartphones on wheels’ with their extensive connectivity. Their electronic systems are not just to manage the car itself but also to connect to the other vehicles and to the rest of the world.

It is therefore no surprise that companies like Google and Apple have been looking at making cars, with Sony teaming up with Honda. BYD, likely to overtake Tesla as the No.1 EV maker in the world, started off as a battery manufacturer in 1995 and only entered the car business 20 years ago.

Already a well known brand name
Xiaomi now joins this list of new automotive players and with its brand name having become embedded in the smartphone market in just 13 years, it is no stranger to consumers. The company began plans to make cars two years ago with the establishment of a subsidiary to handle the business.

Concept to production in 2½ years
For the established carmakers, it normally takes 4 years to develop a new model and they have decades of experience. Yet within 2½ years, Xiaomi – which has no previous experience making cars – has gone from prototype (codenamed ‘Modena’ and then ‘MS11’) to unveiling of its first model today – the SU7.

As with many unveiling events, while orders have been taken, deliveries won’t start right away but are expected to begin in February 2024. The EVs are now being made at a factory belonging to the BAIC Group in Beijing. While the factory is known to have an annual capacity of 200,000 units, it is not known what Xiaomi’s initial volumes are.

Aiming to be among top 5
But the company is aiming to become one of the world’s top 5 automakers within the next 15 to 20 years and is willing to spend up to US$10 billion to achieve that goal. It’s already spent US$1.4 billion on its first EV.

Seeing how BYD and Tesla have rocketed to the upper ranks, no one would say Xiaomi is being over-optimistic.

Details of the SU7, which has a sleek sedan bodystyle (with a Cd of 0.195), are not much different on paper (or on the screen) from other EVs.

Quicker than Tesla and Porsche EVs
However, Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun, said the car (‘SU’ stands for ‘Speed Ultra’) has a ‘super electric motor’ and can out-accelerate Tesla and Porsche EVs. There are three super motors which can spin at speeds from 21,000 rpm to 27,200 rpm.

The SU7, which is almost 6 metres long, will be offered with two powertrain versions, differentiated by battery capacity to gives ranges claimed to be 668 kms or up to 800 kms. The batteries will come from BYD and CATL.

Peak output from the powertrain is 220 kW/400 Nm with only rear-wheel drive and up to 495 kW with all-wheel drive. Some versions will use 400V systems while others will have  800V systems. The silicon carbide high voltage platform developed in-house can operate with a maximum voltage of up to 871V.

Common HyperOS software
As would be expected, the SU7 will be very high-tech with Xiaomi’s own HyperOS running its electronic systems. There should be very good connectivity with a Xiaomi smartphone as it also runs on HyperOS so don’t be surprised if many remote features are available.

Very sophisticated ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) are also in the SU7. The company says it has Full Scenario Intelligent Assisted Driving with two NVIDIA Drive Orin high-performance chips that have a combined computing power of 508 TOPS (Trillions or Tera Operations per Second). This should enable it to operate with quite a high level of autonomy, an area which Chinese carmaker seem to be advancing at a faster rate than others.

Price ‘a bit high’
The price range of the SU7 was not announced today and Xiaomi’s CEO hinted that it could be regarded as ‘a bit high’. However, he believes that people will find the prices ‘justified’. It is quite likely that the very large base of customers who already own a Xiaomi smartphone or other devices will appreciate the new EV as it will be seamlessly connected.

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