Xiaomi YU7 range leak schools the Tesla Model Y as gold-plated SU7 Ultra badge keeps getting lifted
After the market success of its first electric car, the SU7, Xiaomi is preparing to debut an YU7 SUV that seems destined to take on the new Tesla Model Y directly.
The Chinese equivalent of the FCC just leaked the highest Xiaomi YU7 range trim, and it tops the Model Y Long Range. According to the MIIT regulatory body, the YU7 is certified for 770 km (CLTC) range, or 50 km more than the respective Model Y trim there.
Despite the larger battery and longer range on a charge, the Xiaomi YU7 price is expected to start from the equivalent of $34,500, which is $2,000 lower than the Model Y starting price in China.
The 96.3 kWh battery pack is what allows the longer range on a charge, and Xiaomi has also registered a performance 101.7 kWh nickel battery that will probably power the top YU7 AWD trim with its 691 horsepower output.
Xiaomi also registered trims with and without LiDAR on the roof, suggesting that the cheaper RWD models might rely on vision-only autonomous driving hardware like Tesla does. For those, Xiaomi also certified an LFP battery.
Externally, the YU7 design languages carries over from the SU7, down to the yellow calipers and the raindrop headlights, but the interior will introduce a novel take on EV instrument panels. What Xiaomi registered is an offset ultrawide screen strip that will keep car vitals easier to follow at all times while driving, without being a big secondary screen distraction.
Xiaomi, which established street cred with quality value devices like its Bluetooth speakers and Redmi phones, also has a sprawling portfolio of everything from home electronics to electric scooters, and recently got into cars.
Its go-getting CEO Lei Jun enjoys a cult following among the public, which considers him the Chinese version of Elon Musk. That might be one of the reasons its first EV, the SU7 sedan, was an instant hit. Lei Jun recently unveiled the most powerful SU7 Ultra version of the sedan that costs less and runs faster than the Tesla Model S Plaid.
He, however, shouldn't have mentioned that the Xiaomi badge on the hood of the SU7 Ultra is gold-plated, as early adopters of its premium performance EV complained that they are getting their badge stolen.
Granted, Lei Jun immediately posted to "please don’t get any ideas about stealing it - it’s not worth breaking the law over that amount of gold," but SU7 Ultra badges started popping up on classifieds anyway.
When analyzed, the SU7 Ultra badge returned gold content that is barely worth thirty bucks indeed, but that didn't stop people from stealing it anyway.
