Chinese electronics company Xiaomi has completed the initial development of its first EV offering. The Modena EV is recently spotted undergoing a winter test in Inner Mongolia in China, with CEO Lei Jun in the driving seat, as per Business Today.
The Modena EV
Xiaomi has not yet fully disclosed the specifics of its first EV product. However, we know it will reach the market next year.
A Weibo blogger (via Gizmochina) disclosed the pictures from the sighted testing. The report noted that Xiaomi had concealed most of the design details for this impending electric vehicle.
However, the general outline of the car is discernible. The Modena EV looks like a sporty sedan by looking at its shape.
The source further asserted that Xiaomi installed a LiDAR sensor on the roof of the EV, implying that it may offer driver assistance or autonomous systems.
According to ArenaEV, the Xiaomi Modena has a tall canopy and arching roofline that softly slopes downwards toward the back, giving it a remarkably aerodynamic form.
Citing Chinese media, it further stated that there would be three versions of the Xiaomi Modena. The top trim will have the most recent CATL Qilin battery pack. Meanwhile, the two entry-level variants will employ BYD LFP “blade” batteries.
Meanwhile, the newest Qualcomm 8295 chips, which have 30 TOPS of NPU computational power, will handle infotainment.
According to reports, the car will cost between $38,350 and $51,650. That places Modena exactly in the middle of the EV price range in China.
Xiaomi’s expansion efforts into the car market
The Chinese tech giant started making efforts to penetrate the auto market in September 2021. It invested $1.5 billion in the development of its first EV offering. Despite numerous regulatory and development delays, the project is indeed advancing.
Nonetheless, Xiaomi has a long way to go to prove that it can also excel in the auto industry, just like its smartphone business. For now, we can only wait for the official announcement of the vehicle’s features and specifications.
