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Xiaomi Smartphone Brand’s Cars To Go Global, As It Unveils Its Fastest Model Ever
The smartphone maker’s range of electric vehicles – which have been a hit in China, where there are currently sold exclusively – confirmed its plan for a global product push.
Chinese electric car maker Xiaomi plans to expand beyond China to ‘global markets’ – which could include Australia – at the launch of only its second vehicle, the SU7 Ultra high-performance sedan.
According to CNBC, Xiaomi president William Lu told media at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, firm plans were underway for the brand to begin selling cars across the globe.
“I cannot share too many details but I am so excited to tell our global users that Xiaomi will be releasing EVs [Electric Vehicles] for sale in global markets within the next few years,” Lu told CNBC.
In 2024, Lu said the car maker plans to have 10,000 Xiaomi stores outside of China by 2029, with plans for its ‘human-car-home’ ecosystem of products – which includes smartphones and other tech – to boost its electric vehicle business.
MORE: Australia years away for smartphone maker’s first electric car
It’s not clear which country Xiaomi would choose first to sell cars outside of China, given current political posturing on import tariffs to the United States – the largest new-car market outside of China – and changing policy in other countries.
Formed in 2010, Xiaomi is a Beijing-based technology company – one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers – having turned to electric cars in 2021.
It launched its first vehicle in China – the super aerodynamic SU7 four-door sedan – in March 2024, surpassing 100,000 sales only eight months later.
The brand made headlines in 2024 when Ford global president and CEO, Jim Farley, confessed to driving a Xiaomi SU7 for a six-month period, saying “I don’t want to give it up”.
MORE: Xiaomi smartphone brand reveals its first SUV, a Ferrari Purosangue copycat
Xiaomi also revealed it was happily making a loss of almost $14,000 per SU7 it sold – while Ford lost $US5.08 billion ($AU8.2 billion) on its electric cars in 2024 – with analysts forecasting the launch of a second model would push the brand into profit.
The second model has arrived in Chinese showrooms, with the SU7 Ultra – a high-performance SU7 flagship – reportedly receiving 15,000 orders in the first 24 hours after it went on sale.
It will be joined by the Xiaomi YU7 electric SUV, with Ferrari Purosangue-like styling, due in Chinese showrooms later in 2025.
Revealed in prototype form in July 2024, the SU7 Ultra four-door sedan can top 350km/h thanks to three electric motors making 1138kW/1770Nm, powering all four wheels for a 0-100km/h claim of 1.98 seconds.
MORE: Ford CEO drives Chinese electric car for six months ‘and I don’t want to give it up’
The SU7 Ultra’s chassis has been tuned at the famous Nurburgring circuit in Germany, where it set a lap record – albeit only in a concept form.
The road car scores 21-inch wheels, Pirelli P Zero tyres, Bilstein coilover suspension, Akebono brake calipers, carbon-ceramic brake and Endless racing brake pads.
Its 800-volt architecture uses the latest Qilin 2.0 battery from CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited), the world’s largest lithium battery manufacturer, which also supplies companies including Tesla.
The Ultra variant is rated for a driving range of 630km in CLTC (China Light Duty Vehicle Test Cycle) testing – which is less stringent than the WLTP test common in Australia – with rapid charging claimed to boot the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 11 minutes.
A 3000mm wheelbase and 5115mm length makes the SU7 Ultra similar in size to the Porsche Taycan electric sedan, but at 529,900 Chinese yuan ($AU117,000) is half its German competitor’s starting price.
The SU7 Ultra also features active aerodynamics, a carbon-fibre roof, and 24-karat gold badging on the outside, with Porsche-like sports seats trimmed in Alcantara, Ultra branding in a similar font to a Porsche Turbo model, and under-bonnet storage.
Xiaomi is looking to triple its electric-vehicle sales in 2025, with a target of 300,000 in China – its car division reporting a gross profit margin of 17.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2024, according to its latest financial report.
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