Xiaomi Targets Tesla With New YU7 Launch

Xiaomi unveiled its first SUV, the Xiaomi YU7, last week in China. The company claims that the YU7 will get up to 835 km of range on certain trims and accelerate from 0–62mph in just 3.23 seconds. With this launch, the electronics giant aims to compete with Elon Musk-owned Tesla. Pricing and pre-order details of the YU7 were not revealed at the launch event.

According to Xiaomi, the vehicle name comes from a Chinese phrase that means "riding the wind". YU7, which is set to hit the Chinese market in July, features a longer range than Tesla's Model Y. The redesigned Model Y that was launched in January has a range of up to 719 kilometres. "The Model Y is priced from 263,500 yuan ($36,574), and these (YU7) configurations should make the car 60,000-70,000 yuan more expensive. But we'll talk about the price in July," Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun said, as quoted by Reuters.

The vehicle will be available in three configurations, including Standard, Pro, and Max. The Standard version claims a range of 835 km (CLTC) on a 96.3 kWh battery. The Pro variant offers a 760 km range, while the Max, with its slightly larger 101.7 kWh battery, extends that to 770 km.