The Phone Company SUV That Just Shook My World
Image Credit: Xiaomi.
It's a very strong way to start an article, but I really hate cliches. I don't like bragging because I feel I am one of the luckiest people out there - I've driven, flown, and sailed in just about everything with an engine and, lately, everything with a battery and a motor. I've seen trends come and go, and I've developed a pretty thick skin for hype. Am I biased? Sure I am. All automotive journos are, and I am no saint. Am I opinionated? You bet I am. And I believe there aren't that many things that can surprise me. At least I did.
On very rare occasions, something comes along that genuinely makes me sit up and say, "Hang on a minute." This time, it's an electric SUV from a company best known for making phones and robotic hoovers. And I believe this SUV is so much more than just a car. It's a shot across the bow of the entire automotive establishment. And it's not an accidental shot, either.
Image Credit: Xiaomi.
After Xiaomi made the splash with their SU7 sedan, I was expecting a competent, tech-filled follow-up. What I wasn't expecting was a vehicle that seems to have rewritten the rulebook on what a family EV can be. The dust has settled since the debut of the swanky YU7 SUV, and the more I stare at the pictures and digest the numbers, the more I believe we're looking at a proper revolution.
Let's address those looks first. If you're going to borrow design cues, you might as well borrow from the best, and it seems Xiaomi's design department went on a European holiday. There's more than a hint of Ferrari in its stance, a dash of McLaren in the headlights, and a wonderfully sculpted rear that screams Aston Martin. The result? A stunningly handsome machine that looks far more expensive than it is. It's a big beast, too, measuring over 16 feet long and 6.5 feet wide, with a wheelbase of nearly 118 inches. It has a presence, and it's not shy about it.
Image Credit: Xiaomi.
Now, for the bit that gets my pulse racing: performance. Xiaomi is offering three flavors of the YU7, and none of them are what you'd call "slow." The "base" model is a rear-wheel-drive affair with 320 horsepower and 389 lb-ft of torque. It'll do 0 to 62 mph in 5.88 seconds. Respectable, right? But then there's the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Pro, which bumps things up to 496 horsepower and 509 lb-ft, slashing the sprint time to a rather uncomfortable 4.27 seconds.
But the one that causes a slight fizzing sensation is the YU7 Max. This thing is a family-hauling supercar in disguise. It unleashes a ludicrous 690 horsepower and 639 lb-ft of torque. The 0-62 mph time is a neck-snapping 3.23 seconds, with a top speed of 157 mph. This five-seat SUV, which will likely have remnants of juice boxes and Goldfish crackers in its crevices, accelerates faster than a lot of bona fide supercars I've driven. It's a smidgen faster than the Ferrari Purosangue, which it clearly was inspired by. That's a completely new way of dishing out a compliment, and I'm pretty sure Ferrari engineers aren't too impressed.
Image Credit: Xiaomi.
Of course, speed is useless if you have to stop every hundred miles. Xiaomi seems to have thought of that. All YU7s are built on a modern 800-volt platform, which is the secret sauce for face-meltingly fast charging. The Standard and Pro models get a 96.3 kWh battery, good for a claimed 519 and 478 miles of range, respectively. The top-dog Max gets a slightly bigger 101.7 kWh pack for a range of 472 miles. These numbers are based on the Chinese testing cycle, which is famously optimistic, but even with a healthy dose of skepticism, those are seriously impressive numbers. And the Max version can charge from 10% to 80% in as little as 12 minutes. I spend more time ordering my coffee.
Step inside, and it's clear this car was made by a tech company. The dashboard is dominated by a panoramic screen that stretches an incredible 1.1 meters. It's not a tablet stuck on the dash; it's a "HyperVision" display that looks like something out of Star Trek. Add to that optional "zero-gravity" Nappa leather seats that recline and massage you, a 25-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system, and - I am not making this up - a 4.6-liter built-in fridge.
So, it's gorgeous, faster than a speeding ticket, packed with tech, and it has a fridge. This must cost a fortune, right? This is the part where you might want to sit down. The base model starts at the equivalent of $35,320. The wickedly fast Pro is $39,000. And the range-topping, supercar-slaying Max? At current exchange rates, it rings the till at $45,970. I had to read those numbers three times. In the US, that money gets you a decently equipped mid-size SUV with none of the drama and a fraction of the performance.
Unsurprisingly, the Chinese public has gone absolutely bananas for it. Xiaomi reported over 240,000 orders in the first 18 hours. They've essentially sold out their entire production capacity until early 2027, with wait times of over a year. It seems a lot of young, urban buyers are more than happy to trade in their current cars for this thing. The demand is so high that Xiaomi's biggest problem isn't selling the YU7 but figuring out how on earth to build them fast enough.
Image Credit: Xiaomi.
As I sit here, I feel a strange mix of emotions. I'm genuinely disappointed that our legacy automakers are getting their lunch eaten, unable to produce a vehicle this compelling at such an accessible price point. But I'm also incredibly excited that someone is pushing the boundaries this hard. It's a wake-up call. And I'll admit, as I write this, I'm already browsing websites to figure out the logistics of importing one. My dream garage used to be filled with European and American classics. Today, it seems to consist of two electric cars from a Chinese phone company - the unhinged SU7 Ultra and its not-so-sensible bigger brother Xiaomi YU7. If you'd told me that five years ago, I'd have checked to see if you were feeling alright. Today? My world has been well and truly shaken.
