Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi officially announced plans on Tuesday to kick off the deliveries of its inaugural electric car Speed Ultra 7 (SU7) later this month, marking the start of its foray into the electric vehicle industry.
Launch event and delivery plans
Xiaomi aims to formally introduce its highly-awaited electric car in the planned launch event on March 28, according to the company’s announcement on the local social media platform Weibo.
Xiaomi further noted in the social media post that it will start the SU7’s deliveries “as soon as it is launched,” as per CNBC’s translation of the post written by the company from Chinese to English.
The Chinese tech giant also said that it now has 59 stores across 28 cities nationwide, which will take orders for the new Xiaomi SU7. Its shares surged 7% during morning trade, according to Reuters.
What’s currently known about the SU7?
Xiaomi teased the SU7’s exterior design and tech features in late December 2023. However, it omitted to disclose the specific pricing and delivery date at that time.
According to Chief Executive Lei Jun, the SU7 features a “super electric motor” technology that can enable faster acceleration speeds than Tesla and Porsche’s models. Xiaomi also plans to integrate the SU7’s operating system with its popular phones and other electronic products to attract its existing customers to its new product, an all-electric car.
The SU7 and the SU7 Max
It will come with two variants, including the SU7 and the SU7 Max. The base variant has a rear-wheel drive configuration and features the company’s V6 engine, yielding a maximum output of 220 kW and 400 Nm torque. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.28 seconds and delivers a CLTC-rated range of 668 km from a 73.6 kWh battery.
Meanwhile, the SU7 Max features dual motors that deliver an output of up to 425 kW and 838 Nm torque. It boasts a faster acceleration speed of just 2.78 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. It has a top speed of 265 km/h and a CLTC-estimated range of 800 km from a 101 kWh Qilin NMC battery.
The Xiaomi SU7 will play a significant role in the company’s goals to advance as one of the world’s top five automakers, committing to invest $10 billion in this new venture in the next ten years. A unit of state-owned automaker BAIC Group will produce the SU7 in an existing Beijing factory with an annual production output of 200,000 vehicles.
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