Chinese Smartphone maker Xiaomi targets Porsche and Tesla with the electric Xiaomi SU7

Chinese Smartphone maker Xiaomi is moving in to EV car production with the SU7, a sleek electric saloon very similar to the Porsche Taycan.

The onslaught of Chinese EVs arriving to challenge established European car makers shows little sign of abating, and now we get a Chinese Smartphone maker doing what Apple failed to do by bringing a new EV to market. And not just any EV, but a sleek electric EV aimed at Porsche and Tesla.

The Xiaomi SU7 is the offering, and it looks very much like a Porsche Tyacan (if you squint a bit), with a new Modena Platform offering both 400v and 800v architecture and Xiaomi’s take on Gigacasting to keep costs down (and insurance premiums high) and, of course, tight integration with Xiaomi’s Smartphone tech.

Just as Porsche has done with the Tyacan by using ‘Turbo’ to denote hierarchy in the range, Xiaomi’s offerings use ICE nomenclature to differentiate their offerings with V6, V6s and V8 models.

The entry-level V6 model comes with a single 295bhp motor and 400v electrics and is good for 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds and range of over 400 miles from a 73.6kWh battery, with top-end V8 models getting 800v electrics and a motor on each axle with a total of 664bhp and 0-62mph in 2.78 seconds, range of almost 500 miles from a 101kWh battery and almost 250 miles of range charge in just 10 minutes.

Production of the Xiaomi SU7  will start in 2024 and be built initially by BYD for the Chinese market at prices yet to be revealed, with plans to invest up to £8 billion in the coming years to make Xiaomi a top five global car maker in the next 15 years.

Ambitious.