Xiaomi kicks off the second act of its expansion into e-mobility as the Chinese tech giant has unveiled another electric vehicle (EV), named the YU7. The new electric SUV will hit its local market in less than a year from now.
Merely months after releasing an EV that has taken the Chinese auto market by storm, the SU7, Xiaomi has unveiled its second EV, the YU7 SUV. Company CEO Lei Jun shared images of the upcoming car on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of X.
Xiaomi has not released much technical information about the YU7, but the photos show many similarities with the company’s debut, the SU7 sedan. However, it is safe to say the YU7 will try to steal market share from the Tesla Model Y in China.
According to Jun, the YU7 could be officially launched in June or July next year. The Xiaomi boss indicated the car would soon start extensive testing, which was why it was revealed so early.
A regulatory filing has revealed the YU7 will have a top speed of 253 km/h (157 mph). Xiaomi will source lithium batteries from CATL, but the capacity is unknown.
Other phone makers have tried making electric cars with widely varying degrees of success. Apple threw in the towel, but Sony will soon launch the Afeela EV co-developed with Honda.
Xiaomi will hope to replicate the SU7‘s runaway success next year. The company has delivered more than 100,000 units in its first year of retailing cars in China. The sedan caught the attention of Ford CEO Jim Farley, who flew one all the way to the US. After driving it personally for a few months, he said he loved driving it and was reluctant to let it go.
