Xiaomi SU7 Makes Sales Debut With Tesla Model S Features at Model 3 Prices

Xiaomi seems to be as underrated as a carmaker as it was as a phone maker in 2011 when it launched its first model. Only two years later, Xiaomi became the fifth-most-used smartphone brand in China, having sold 18.7 million smartphones in 2013. In 2021, Xiaomi became the third largest smartphone maker in the world, after Apple and Samsung, and it maintained this position throughout 2023. Also, in March 2021, Xiaomi confirmed previous rumors that it was preparing an electric vehicle.

Only three years later, Xiaomi opened the order books for its first electric vehicle, the SU7 executive sedan. It did so with a bang, undercutting Tesla by a margin. To give you an idea of how aggressive this is, the SU7 is a Tesla Model S rival, but its mid-range trim, the SU7 Pro, sells for only 245,900 yuan ($34,000), the same as the Model 3 RWD in China. In fact, Model 3 owners are the prime target of Xiaomi's marketing machine, with the tagline, "Isn't it time for Tesla Model 3 users to upgrade?"

The Xiaomi SU7 starting price is actually lower, at 215,900 yuan ($29,875) for the base variant SU7 Standard. Xiaomi also offers a top-of-the-range Max variant for 299,900 yuan ($41,500). Sales will start with what Xiaomi calls "Founders Edition," which sounds like a move inspired by the Tesla Cybertruck. However, Xiaomi will offer the Founders Edition units, limited to 5,000 units, with no price premium. Customers can order either Standard or Max trims as Founders Edition at the same price as the regular trims. And unlike the Tesla Cybertruck, they don't have to wait four years to drive the SU7: deliveries will start on April 3.

Xiaomi opened the reservations on Thursday at 10 PM Beijing time (10:00 AM EST) and amassed 10,000 firm orders in the first four minutes and 50,000 orders after 27 minutes. Those who want a Founders Edition SU7 must pay a non-refundable deposit of 20,000 yuan ($2,765). A regular variant of the electric sedan will set you back 5,000 yuan ($690). However, this sum is refundable if you change your mind within seven days of ordering.

The Xiaomi SU7 Standard and Pro variants are both single-motor rear-wheel-drive models built on a 400-volt electrical architecture. The SU7 Max, on the other hand, is a dual-motor AWD model with an 800-volt architecture, allowing improved performance and faster charging times. Xiaomi also differentiates the three trims by the battery type, with the Standard trim powered by BYD's blade battery (LFP) with a 73.6 kWh capacity, enough for 700 km (435 miles).

The Pro model uses CATL's Shenxing battery (advanced LFP) with a capacity of 94.3 kWh, which is good for 830 km (515 miles) of range. Finally, the top trim is built with CATL's Qilin battery with a capacity of 101 kWh. This goes 800 km (497 miles) on a charge, with the penalty owed to its dual-motor configuration. However, it boasts a 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) time of 2.78 seconds. This compares to 5.28 seconds and 5.7 seconds for the Standard and Pro trims, respectively.

Like Tesla, Xiaomi is also working on vision-only self-driving capabilities, in this case named Xiaomi Pilot Pro and Piot Max. The latter is the most advanced, similar to Tesla's FSD, and will be offered on the two top trims of the Xiaomi SU7. Testing will start in April, with 10 cities planned by May and nationwide availability in China by August. Customers who purchase an SU7 by the end of the year will receive free lifetime access to the the Xiaomi Pilot Pro or Xiaomi Pilot Max.