Xiaomi announced on Monday that it is launching its second model, the YU7 SUV, on May 22.
Originally expected to launch in “June or July,” the tech giant has now moved up the debut of the SUV—just weeks after Bloomberg reported it would be delayed. The report was swiftly denied by Wang Hua, head of public relations at Xiaomi.
The Beijing-based company arrived in the EV market a year ago, with its SU7 sedan, designed to rival Tesla‘s Model 3.
The brand will unveil the model in its upcoming product launch event scheduled to start at 7 pm Beijing time.
Pricing details for Xiaomi’s second model are planned to be revealed by the co-founder and CEO Lei Jun on Thursday. The SU7 is currently priced from 299,900 yuan ($41,600).
The YU7 will compete with Tesla’s refreshed Model Y, which was launched in China earlier this year. It was the best-selling EVs in the country in March, with over 43,000 units registered.
However, in April, the model dropped 24% year over year, falling to the third position, with under 20,000 vehicles. At the beginning of each quarter, Tesla China prioritizes exports from its Shanghai plant before focusing on domestic deliveries.
Xiaomi‘s debut model SU7 was the best-seller among vehicles priced over 100,000 yuan ($13,800) in China last month, with 28,585 units registered. It was the fourth best-selling sedan in the country during that period.
According to previous catalog filings with the MIIT revealed that the upcoming YU7 will include both single and double-motor variants. The single-motor version of the SUV includes four range options: 835 km, 820 km, 810 km, and 725 km.
Battery packs will be supplied by CATL. The larger one is a 101.7 kWh pack with a range of 670 km/ 750 km or 760 km under China’s CLTC testing standard.
The second option, a slightly smaller 96.3 kWh pack, delivers a longer range of up to 725 km /810 km or 820 km.
The upcoming YU7 is 4,999 mm long, 1,996 mm wide and 1,600 mm high, with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm.
Images leaked on social media last month also revealed part of the interior of the vehicle, showing a different dashboard when compared to the SU7.
SU7 Ultra Controversy
Xiaomi launched the sport version of its debut sedan, with prices starting at 529,900 yuan ($73,100).
The model included the option to choose a “carbon fiber hood with dual air duct” — increasing the price by 42,000 yuan ($5,800).
However, customers who received their SU7 Ultra with the dual-channel front hood complained it did not work nor “provide downforce.”
Customers who ordered the vehicle and felt misled regarding the non-functional hood tried to cancel their orders, to which Xiaomi responded with a 60-day “cooling-off period” before cancellations could be processed.
According to the company, if a customer does not opt to resume production within the 60-day window, the order will be treated as canceled. The policy has led to dissatisfaction among some buyers, who are demanding a full refund of their deposits and considering legal action.
In the past three weeks, sales from the company’s debut model have been declining sequentially, according to insurance registration data published on Chinese social media.
