Xiaomi’s second mannequin, YU7 SUV, will likely be unveiled on Thursday, Might 22, at 7 p.m. Chinese language time. It has been over a yr because the launch of its first mannequin, the SU7 sedan, and it is going to be a very powerful occasion of the yr for the Beijing-based smartphone large.
Rumours say that Lei Jun, Xiaomi CEO, later regretted the choice to make the primary mannequin a sedan. The ratio of gross sales of sedans vs SUVs in China is 1:3. So well-liked are SUVs within the Center Kingdom. Regardless of this, SU7 gross sales had been an enormous success, and it mainly bought out inside 24 hours for the remainder of the yr when it launched in March 2024. Lei Jun selected a sedan as the primary mannequin, almost definitely as a result of the core Xiaomi followers are tech-savvy younger nerds. The SUV goal group in China are normally younger households. With this mentioned, expectations from YU7 are excessive, and it is going to be one other take a look at for the Xiaomi advertising and marketing staff.
The YU7 will likely be unveiled on Thursday, and the launch and supply are anticipated in June or July. The automobile was imagined to debut on the Shanghai Auto Present in April, however following the lethal crash wherein three ladies died utilizing Xiaomi’s autonomous driving software program, Lei Jun went silent, didn’t attend the present, and quietly postponed the debut.
Primarily based on data launched by the regulator, we already know that it has a physique measurement of 4999 mm lengthy, 1996 mm broad, 1600 mm tall, and a 3000 mm wheelbase. It is going to have an AWD possibility with a 220 kW motor on the entrance axle and a 228 kW motor on the rear axle, with a mixed output of 508 kW (681 hp) and a 253 km/h high pace. The one motor model will likely be FWD with 235 kW. The vary will likely be between 670 km and 760 km CLTC.
If the SU7 is corresponding to the Porsche Taycan, then the YU7 bears some resemblance to the Ferrari Purosangue. It has a protracted hood, lidar, 5-spoke wheels, and a curb weight of 2405 kg.
The inside was already formally unveiled, surprisingly totally different from the SU7. It has a big central management display screen and a big panoramic HUD known as HyperVision. What’s fascinating is a protracted cabin-wide letterbox display screen proper below the entrance windshield, which stretches from drive to passenger. Additionally, there isn’t any driver’s show.
CaNewChina expects the value to be shockingly low, as ordinary for Xiaomi, with the bottom mannequin beginning round 260,000 yuan (36,100 USD).
YU7 will put a variety of strain on the Xiaomi plant, which is already struggling to satisfy demand. Nonetheless, that is additionally a part of Lei Jun’s starvation advertising and marketing technique, so it’s not an enormous subject. Xiaomi will reportedly full the second section of its Beijing plant in mid-June. The plant is designed to have 300,000 an annual output as soon as completed (first section 150,000, second section 150,000). The primary section was accomplished in 2023, and mass manufacturing of SU7 began in April 2024. In Jun 2024, the plant added a second shift.
However not every little thing is rainbows and butterflies. Xiaomi remained quiet through the Shanghai Auto Present because of a lethal accident that killed three ladies, and needed to introduce the YU7 in a extra optimistic local weather. Nonetheless, during the last two weeks, the corporate has confronted many accusations of low high quality, excessive insurance coverage prices, and the faux carbon fibre dual-duct on its flagship SU7 Extremely being just for ornamental functions (having zero affect on cooling).
We are going to keep watch over the launch. Lei Jun undoubtedly has some tips up his sleeve to make the entire of China speak in regards to the new automobile.
