Among the burgeoning automotive startups, Xiaomi Automobile, led by Lei Jun, stands out as a T0-level star brand. In 2024, it introduced its inaugural model, the SU7, delivering an impressive 135,000 units within just nine months. Notably, this quasi-luxury vehicle, with a starting price of 215,900 yuan, underscores its remarkable value proposition.

As the saying goes, "Strike while the iron is hot," and Xiaomi Automobile intends to capitalize on its momentum in 2025. Firstly, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra will be officially launched in March (pre-sale price: 814,900 yuan). Next, the brand's first SUV model, the YU7, has completed the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's new vehicle catalog declaration and is anticipated to meet consumers in the first half of the year. Finally, Xiaomi Automobile will embark on pre-research for cutting-edge battery, body, and chassis technologies, setting the stage for its products to remain ahead of the competition for years to come.

● Xiaomi SU7 Ultra: The "Ultimate SU7" Sets a New Benchmark on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

In late 2024, a prototype race version based on the Xiaomi SU7 clocked a lap record of 6 minutes, 46 seconds, and 874 milliseconds on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, becoming the fastest four-door vehicle in the world on the iconic track. Building on this success, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra opened for pre-sale and secured 3,680 small order reservations within 10 minutes, despite its steep pre-sale price of 814,900 yuan. It remains unclear whether this overwhelming response is due to the product's formidable performance or Lei Jun's personal charisma.

The existing Xiaomi SU7 Max features a front and rear dual-motor drive with a combined power of 495kW. In contrast, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra boasts a "front 1, rear 2" three-motor drive configuration, delivering a total power of 1,138kW. Despite its curb weight of 2,360kg, it can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 1.98 seconds, reaching a top speed of 350km/h, outperforming most million-yuan-level sports cars, including the likes of the Porsche 911 and AMG GT. Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with a 93.7kWh battery, offering a maximum pure electric range of 600km and supporting a 5.2C charging rate, enabling the battery to charge from 10% to 80% in just 11 minutes.

To achieve track-level performance, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra has undergone extensive enhancements in the body, chassis, and brakes. It incorporates 17 lightweight design elements throughout the vehicle, including a carbon fiber roof, and is equipped with carbon ceramic brake discs, Akebono brake calipers (front six, rear four), and Pirelli P ZERO series tires (front 265/35 R21, rear 305/30 R21). Optionally, users can install Bilstein EVO T1 coilover shocks with a 10-stage adjustment knob.

In terms of aerodynamics, the vehicle is not only wider and lower than the standard version but also features a carbon fiber spoiler that provides up to 285kg of downforce. The active rear diffuser supports adaptive adjustment from 0 to 16 degrees, ensuring optimal aerodynamic drag under high-speed conditions.

● Xiaomi YU7: Lei Jun's Vision for a Chinese "Ferrari Mi" – What's the Right Price?

Following the success of the C-segment sedan SU7, Xiaomi Automobile's core product for 2025 is the first mid-size SUV, the YU7. This model is crucial to achieving the brand's goal of delivering 300,000 vehicles in 2025. Currently, the vehicle has revealed its official appearance images and completed the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's new vehicle catalog declaration, with a launch expected in June to July of this year.

From the official images, the YU7 largely carries forward the design elements of the SU7, including the iconic LED headlights, U-shaped taillights, and trapezoidal air inlets. However, as an SUV, the YU7 is significantly taller and larger, with prominent front and rear fenders, adding to its imposing presence.

According to the declaration information, the vehicle measures 4999/1996/1600mm, boasts a wheelbase of 3000mm, and is equipped with wheels/tires with a maximum specification of 245/45 R21, positioning it as a sports SUV focused on a spacious five-seat layout. Additionally, both the official and declaration images reveal a lidar mounted on the roof, hinting at new advancements in intelligent driving capabilities.

For the battery-electric-electronic system, the rear-wheel-drive model will be equipped with a rear axle permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power of 235kW, paired with a lithium iron phosphate battery supplied by Foday Power. The four-wheel-drive version, on the other hand, utilizes front and rear dual motors with maximum powers of 220kW (induction/asynchronous) and 288kW (permanent magnet/synchronous), respectively, matched with a ternary lithium battery from CATL, offering higher energy density, greater output power, and a stronger charging rate.

● Pre-research on Smart Chassis Technology: Four-Motor Drive, Fully Active Suspension, and 48V By-Wire Steering & By-Wire Braking.

Beyond the end products that captivate users, Xiaomi Automobile is also at the forefront of new energy technology development. This includes the most advanced four-motor drive, fully active suspension, and 48V by-wire steering & by-wire braking, which are pivotal development directions for Xiaomi Automobile in 2025 and will form the core competitiveness of the brand's future offerings.

Official information previously released reveals that Xiaomi is developing a power solution that independently drives all four wheels through four in-wheel motors. This comprises two V8 motors located at the rear axle and a new electric drive unit (containing two motors) positioned at the front axle, delivering a combined power of an astonishing 1,511kW (2,054Ps), surpassing even the three-motor Xiaomi SU7 Ultra mentioned earlier.

Furthermore, this system enables functions such as in-place turning, compass turning, and "moonwalk" parking through independent control of the four motors, somewhat akin to BYD's "E-Four" technology applied to the Yangwang series.

In addition to the battery-electric-electronic system, smart suspension represents another crucial direction for future electric vehicles, and Xiaomi is developing an intelligent fully active body control system. Building upon traditional active air suspension, this system additionally installs an active motor control system, enabling the wheels to actively control their vertical movement through torsion bars rather than passively adapting to road undulations. This not only boasts a response speed 100 times faster than that of air springs but also achieves a lifting stroke of 140mm and a lifting force of up to 44,400N. Similar to the Yangwang U9 utilizing CloudRide-X, this system allows the Xiaomi SU7 MAX (test vehicle) to jump in place.

In the era of electrification, the by-wire chassis is a key technological frontier for major automakers. Currently, throttle and gearshift are already electronically controlled, and the next step involves electrifying braking and steering units. Following Tesla Cybertruck's lead, Xiaomi Automobile is also developing a 48V by-wire steering system. This innovative system does not require a mechanical steering column or universal joint, instead directly converting the steering wheel's angle into an electrical signal and controlling wheel steering via an electronically controlled actuator. Its steering ratio can be freely adjusted between 5:1 and 15:1.

Moreover, the braking system eschews traditional hydraulic control in favor of converting pedal braking force into an electrical signal, which then adjusts the dual-piston electronic caliper at the wheel end for braking control (by-wire transmission). This approach offers more precise control and reduced energy consumption, providing an additional 10% endurance under the same conditions compared to traditional hydraulic braking systems.