Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Sales of the Xiaomi YU7 are running rampant in China, with the challenger brand beefing up its production.
Tesla still sold more than 26,000 Model Ys in October, which is still a very healthy amount, but the emergence of new and more desired rivals is bad news for the American company.
The YU7 shot to fame when it registered 200,000 orders in three minutes after it went on sale earlier this year. By the end of that same month it was reporting more than 400,000 orders.
This popularity for the Zeekr 7X, BYD Sealion 7 and Kia EV5 alternative filled the companys current production capacity until 2027, but it is rapidly expanding.
Xiaomi is now planning on taking its vehicles global, which spells further trouble for Tesla and other EV makers.
Europe appears to be first up, with Bloomberg reporting it would launch in the continent by 2027.
In China the YU7 range kicks off with the Standard grade, featuring a single motor powering the rear wheels and producing 235W and 528Nm.
The mid-tier Pro brings all-wheel drive and two motors with a combined output of 365kW and 690Nm.
Both use a 96.3kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
Range-topping Max is all-wheel drive and its dual motors up the ante with 508kW and 866Nm. That's enough grunt to throw this SUV from 0 to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds. At its core is a 101kWh nickel managenese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion battery.
Xiaomi is winning fans around the world, including Fords boss Jim Farley.
The Blue Ovals chieftain has gone on the record about how much he loves the Xiaomi SU7 - the sedan version of the YU7.
Last year he told the Everything Electric Show: I dont like talking about the competition so much, but I drive a Xiaomi. We flew one from Shanghai to Chicago and Ive been driving it for six months now, and I dont want to give it up.
Ferrari has been seen benchmarking the high-performance SU7 at its Maranello headquarters ahead of the Prancing Horse coming first electric car.
