Xiaomi's carbon fiber hood debacle causes backlash among some buyers

When the prototype of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra was unveiled at the Nürburgring last year, it was a highlight. With a time of 6 minutes and 48.874 seconds, it beat the previous best time of the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. Since then, Xiaomi has not only become a household name for electronic end products, but also for electric vehicles. However, Tesla's rival has recently suffered several setbacks in a relatively short period of time.

Consumers feel cheated by Xiaomi

According to a report by Wallstreet Online, consumers who ordered the SU7 with carbon fiber hood feel deceived owing to an incorrect description of a particular feature. According to the official website, the hood is advertised as a functional feature that supports the cooling of the front tires and costs an extra 42,000 yuan (around $5,830).

When some customers took a closer look at the bonnet, they realized that the air intakes only consisted of simple holes with some paneling. Moreover, the design was too similar to the normal bonnet.

Xiaomi counters and makes customers an offer

According to the same report, the Chinese company backtracked and apologized for the unclear communication. The carbon fiber hood is intended more as a visual feature and only offers "a certain amount of ventilation and heat dissipation."

Customers who have ordered the SU7 but have not yet received it can, if they wish, get the electric car with a standard hood or, alternatively, receive 20,000 loyalty points. 300 complaints have been submitted so far. After three people died in an accident at the beginning of April due to a faulty autopilot, the debate about the safety of the Xiaomi SU7 has flared up again.