Xiaomi’s latest car wants to raise the bar

Better known for its phones and gadgets, Xiaomi is bringing its technological expertise to automobiles with its first electric vehicle, the Xiaomi SU7.

This upcoming vehicle from the electronics giant could further shake up the growing EV segment with its whole suite of technologies.

“Xiaomi’s entry into the automotive industry marks a significant leap from the smartphone industry and a crucial step toward closing the loop of the Human x Car x Home smart ecosystem,” said Lei Jun, founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group.

The Xiaomi SU7 was built with a bottom-up approach, starting from developing foundational core technologies and in-depth independent research in key technology sectors. As such, the vehicle boasts of innovations in aspects like the E-motor, battery, construction, autonomous driving, and Smart Cabin, all of which are Xiaomi self-developed technologies.

E-motor

Powering the vehicle are independently developed and manufactured E-motors: HyperEngine V6/V6s, and HyperEngine V8s. As you can guess from the names, the motors were designed to rival the performance of traditional large V8 and V6 internal combustion engines.

The HyperEngine V6 super motor has a maximum power of 299-PS and a maximum torque of 400N·m, while the HyperEngine V6s super motor achieves a maximum power of 374-PS and a maximum torque of 500N·m.

The HyperEngine V8s produces a maximum speed of 27,200 rpm, 425kW output, and 635N·m peak torque. It is in development and set to be mass-produced and offered in 2025.

Battery

These will be powered by self-developed CTB Integrated Battery Technology. Innovations in its construction allow it to boast of a maximum battery capacity of up to 150 kWh and theoretical CLTC recharge range exceeding 1200 km. Each Xiaomi battery boasts industry-leading reliability and undergoes the most stringent battery safety tests, including 1050+ safety verifications and 96 times the international standard of durability testing duration.

Die-cast construction

The vehicle will be built with Xiaomi’s self-developed Die-Casting T9100 cluster and proprietary die-casting alloy material, Xiaomi Titans Metal. In essence, parts of the car can be built and inspected within seconds, eliminating the needs for welded joints, reducing car weight, and allowing the vehicle to be built faster.

Autonomous driving

The vehicle will also have autonomous driving features, using technologies like Adaptive BEV Technology, Road-Mapping Foundational Model, and Super-Res Occupancy Network Technology. Adaptive BEV Technology ensures wider visibility in urban scenarios, extended vision in high-speed scenarios, and more precision in parking scenarios. Road-Mapping Foundational Model recognizes changes in conditions and adapts in real-time in order to navigate complex intersections without relying on high-definition maps. Super-Res Occupancy Network Technology recognizes obstacles as continuous curved surfaces instead of blocks, and can even work during weather like rain or snow. It scans the road with one LiDAR, eleven high-definition cameras, three millimeter-wave radars, and twelve ultrasonic radars. This technology is powered by two NVIDIA Orin high-performance chips.

Smart Cabin

Finally, the Xiaomi EV features a “human-centric” cabin. It features a 16.1-inch 3K central console, a 56-inch HUD head-up display, a 7.1-inch rotating dashboard, and two seat-back extension mounts that allow for the mounting of two tablet devices.

The interactive experience of Xiaomi Smart Cabin is similar to tablets, allowing users to quickly adapt without the need for a learning curve. It offers seamless cross-device connection between smartphones and the EV. The Xiaomi EV fully supports CarPlay, the mounting of iPads and iPad accessories, and applications on the rear extension mount.

With the SU7, Xiaomi hopes to create a “Human x Car x Home” ecosystem, making it more inclusive and human-centered, capable of enabling a multitude of possibilities. The Xiaomi SU7 will be launched very soon.