Smartphone manufacturer - 800-kilometer range, almost 700 hp: Xiaomi attacks Tesla and Porsche with its own car
At first glance, it could be a Porsche Taycan. Or a Tesla Model S. But a closer look reveals that the sports coupé known as the Su7 is not part of the range of an established manufacturer, but is to be the electric car debut of the Chinese Xiaomi Group.
The Su7 (Su stands for "Speed Ultra") is to be delivered in China as early as next year. Xiaomi initially left open whether and when the car will come to Europe. The basic model will make the start, with a Max version to follow later.
Xiaomi's electric car impresses with numbers
At the presentation of the car, Xiaomi started by throwing around figures that will make the hearts of anyone interested in electric cars beat faster. Firstly, there is the performance. The Su7 Max with two motors and all-wheel drive is said to produce 673 hp and accelerate to 100 kilometers per hour in 2.78 seconds. It should only reach the limit at 265 km/h.
According to the Chinese CLTC standard, the range should be around 800 kilometers, and Xiaomi gives the battery capacity as 101 kilowatt hours. By way of comparison, the Porsche Taycan uses a battery with 93.4 kilowatt hours, with a range of up to 527 kilometers according to the CLTC standard. Xiaomi would therefore have to squeeze almost 300 kilometers out of 7.6 kilowatt hours, which seems rather ambitious. In addition, the Chinese CLTC standard determines the range at lower speeds and therefore has lower requirements than the WLTP standard commonly used in Europe. This value is therefore unlikely to have much to do with reality.
The Xiaomi Su7 can also be charged at a fast-charging station with 800 volts. This not only enables very high charging capacities at certain points, but also covers a fairly wide range of charging levels. In other words: The Su7 not only charges at full power at very specific residual capacities, but also manages this over a longer period of time. This makes it possible to add significant range within a few minutes. Xiaomi speaks of 510 kilometers in 15 minutes. That is also very ambitious. Especially as it requires extremely powerful charging stations, which do exist in this country, but are clearly outnumbered.
Price question remains unanswered so far
The standard Su7 with rear-wheel drive also boasts impressive figures. Xiaomi speaks of 299 hp, 5.28 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and a range of 668 kilometers. The manufacturer gives the battery capacity as 73.6 kilowatt hours, charged using a 400-volt architecture. The top speed is given as 210 km/h.
In addition to pure driving performance, the Su7 is said to offer a sound system with 25 speakers, a 16.1-inch touchscreen and a 5.6-inch head-up display.
Company boss Lei Jun did not want to talk about prices at the presentation of the car. The only thing he said was that we cannot expect a Porsche competitor at a ridiculously low price. More precise details would follow.
Source: Xiaomi
Read also:
- Despite its impressive performance and range, the Xiaomi Su7's European availability remains uncertain, as the company has not yet announced plans beyond its Chinese release.
- The Xiaomi Su7 Max is not only competing with Tesla models but also with high-end electric cars like the Porsche Taycan, offering a similar range and horsepower.
- Surprisingly, the Xiaomi Su7 Max beats the Porsche Taycan in terms of range, according to the Chinese CLTC standard, but it's important to note that this value may not reflect real-world driving conditions.
- In the electric car market, even established manufacturers like Porsche should keep a close eye on companies like Xiaomi, which are challenging traditional automakers with affordable high-performance electric vehicles.
Source: www.stern.de
