So, Xiaomi Just Dropped a New SUV. What's the Latest?

Hey, guess what? Xiaomi, yeah, the phone and gadget folks, just rolled out a brand new SUV in Beijing on Thursday. It's called the YU7, and it looks like they're really trying to go head-to-head with Tesla in China, which is like, the biggest car market ever.

They've got the YU7 in 13 showrooms around Beijing right now, and you can start ordering one in July. Xiaomi's probably hoping this new SUV is as popular as their SU7 sedan, which came out last year and has been selling more than Tesla's Model 3 pretty much every month since December. Some people think the YU7 could be a big challenge to Tesla's super popular Model Y.

But, and it's a big but, Xiaomi is kind of new to the whole electric car game in China, and it's super competitive there. Plus, they've had a few bumps in the road lately. Their new EV orders have actually slowed down after some controversies. Like, there was a fatal accident in March involving an SU7 using the driving-assistance system that authorities are looking into. And Xiaomi had to say sorry because their marketing wasn't clear enough, especially after some folks were complaining about false advertising. So yeah, a bit of a mixed bag right now.

I was reading about this guy, Liu Jiaxing, a tech worker who's 34. He was یکی از اولین نفرها who checked out the new YU7 at Xiaomi's main showroom. He really liked how it looked, especially the emerald green color. He also thought it was cool how Xiaomi cars work with their phones and smart home stuff. He felt that local brands just get what Chinese buyers want better than companies from other countries.

He mentioned that he used to prefer cars from the U.S., Germany, and France, but now that electric cars in China are improving so fast, he's more focused on the car itself instead of just the brand name. It's interesting how things are changing, right?

Another person who saw the YU7 was Tom van Dillen, who helps run a German consulting company in Beijing. He wasn't a huge fan of some of the smart features in the YU7, calling them "unnecessary." But even he said the YU7 is a serious competitor to the Model Y.

He pointed out that Xiaomi has this cool advantage in their showrooms – they have a special area with accessories made just for Xiaomi cars. Plus, the price is pretty good. Xiaomi hasn't announced the exact price for the YU7 yet, but some estimates say it could be anywhere from about $32,000 to $46,000. The Model Y starts around $36,500 in China, so the YU7 seems pretty competitive. One prediction is that Xiaomi could sell 100,000 YU7s this year and maybe even 249,000 in 2026. Seems like they're really going for it!