- Smartphone giant Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra EV prototype set a four-door lap “record” at the Nürburgring.
- The actual production car, the SU7 Max, experienced severe brake failures during track tests.
- Xiaomi stated the SU7 Max isn’t intended for track use, fueling scepticism about the company’s EV claims.
Imagine you bought a car on the basis of its racetrack performance and then it didn’t have any… The same Chinese hyper EV that last month claimed a Nürburgring lap record had broken the internet thanks to broken brakes. Well, sort of…
Xiaomi Goes from Smartphone Giant to Track Challenger
The car in question is the Xiaomi SU7. A high-performance sports sedan, the SU7 is the headline model from a Chinese company that is better known for making smartphones than fast cars.
In October, the Xiaomi SU7 set a new four-door lap “record”. Now, even Chinese auto bloggers have turned on Xiaomi, saying the car is too dangerous to take to the track. The truth is probably somewhere in between… The devil, as often is the case, is in the detail.
Xiamo’s Nürburgring Lap Record: What Makes It So Special?
The record details first… Located in the northwest of Germany, the Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack has legendary status.
‘The Ring’ hosts iconic race events but is most commonly known — in the last few decades at least — as providing the venue for benchmark lap times for fast cars. The fastest hot hatch, the fastest supercar, the fastest SUV, the fastest racing car… You get the idea. Various brands run their various models around the track (also known as the Die Grüne Hölle – The Green Hell) and use the lap times as bragging rights in advertising and other ventures.
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It’s a slippery slope, literally and figuratively. The track is long and treacherous. The record attempts themselves are similarly slippery — often mired in controversy (just ask Lamborghini) and bring up all sorts of awkward questions: What really constitutes a production car? Where was the lap time measured? What tyres or fuel was used etc, etc… But let’s not let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Xiaomi SU7 Ultra’s Record-Breaking Specs
Hence the arrival at The Ring of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra prototype in October. And pay attention to that suffix, Ultra. The Ultra is an experimental version of the already rapid SU7. Xiaomi claims the tri-motor EV sedan packs over 1140kW (1548hp) and can accelerate 0-100km/h in 1.98sec on the way to a top speed of 350km/h. Says the carmaker:
“Xiaomi SU7 Ultra also comes with a peak chassis system tuned for the Nürburgring Nordschleife, delivering better chassis control and a higher control ceiling. As a four-door ‘race car’ it is track-ready straight from the factory. In addition, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra offers multiple upgrades in smart driving, smart cockpit, safety and luxury experience.”
Xiaomi Press Release
Xiaomi intends to sell the Ultra as a full-production car in 2025… Orders are open, and the cost in China is set at 814,900 yuan – about $A173,000. On October 28, with Ring specialist and Nurburgring 24 winner Briton David Pittard at the wheel, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra prototype duly set a new “record” for a production sedan at a very, very rapid 6min 46.874sec. The video makes for compelling viewing… and the time is properly rapid – and not just in sedan or EV terms.
It’s as fast as the fastest Porsche 911 production model. The next fastest four-door time we can find is one set in 2017 by current Supercar driver and Bathurst 1000 winner, Richie Stanaway, in a purpose-built Prodrive Subaru WRX STI Type RA NBR Special at 6min 57.578sec. Back then Richie raced Aston Martins…
However, perhaps the most (in)famous four-door ‘record’ is that of the Tesla Model S Plaid Track Package set in June 2023. That record attempt (Tesla had a couple of goes) played its part in a tit-for-tat spat with Porsche for four-door production car bragging rights. The Plaid’s time of 7min 25.231sec was called out, having been set on non-road-legal rubber. Porsche has since reset what it claims as the four-door record earlier this year with its Taycan Turbo GT on the right tyres at 7min 7.55sec.
In both cases, the SU7 Ultra has a margin of at least 20sec… A lifetime when it comes to lap pace… FYI: look out Porsche – the Chinese brand says it is committed to going back in 2025 with a proper production SU7 Ultra and dotting the i’s.
Breaking Brakes: Why the Xiaomi SU7 Max Is Under Fire
Fast forward to the track testing of the fastest ACTUAL production Xiaomi SU7 – it’s dubbed the SU7 Max… Note Max, not Ultra… What’s very clear is a standard Xiaomi SU7 is far from the track-ready mega-sedan its brand advertising and (especially) its Ultra counterpart purports it to be…
With around 495kW, the Xiaomi SU7 Max might be 600kW shy of the Ultra but still outpowers many (most?) of the fastest cars sold Down Under today – electric and ICE. The maker claims it can accelerate to 100 in under 3.0sec. Go is not the problem… Whoa is…
A video from Chinese auto influencer Tang Zho Liao Che highlighted the SU7 Max’s braking issues, crashing at the Shanghai Tianma circuit after complete brake failure. Fellow Chinese auto commentator Director Xiong also posted a video describing how a number of SU7s had failed in a similar manner… Not mincing words, Xiong says taking the SU7 on the track is dangerous.
Despite claims from Xiaomi that its SU7 outperforms Porsche Taycan, the SU7 Max’s braking hardware and technology have a long way to go to match the powertrain. In fact, photos of the Xiaomi SU7 Max’s brakes clearly show despite the oversized Brembo callipers, the pads themselves are tiny – far smaller than you’d expect on a 2000kg-plus vehicle capable of the performance near-500kW delivers.
The whole tale has now escalated to an attack on the veracity of a host of claims Xiaomi makes for the SU7, including reduced range, poor automated emergency braking and crash structure performance. Xiaomi has since issued a statement, explaining that the SU7 Max is not meant for track use. Perhaps the brand’s legal and PR departments aren’t talking… Excuse me, about that Nürburgring trip…
What’s Next for Xiaomi’s Hyper EVs?
Okay, we’ve been a little unkind picking on Xiaomi for the shortcomings of its standard SU7, but it’s instructional to understand that just because a car shares a badge doesn’t always mean it shares the potential or credentials. The 6min 48sec lap time, on the face of it, remains a serious accomplishment for a battery electric sedan.
At a time when Australia is expecting a flood of new car brands from China, it’s probably fortunate that for now, Xiaomi has no plans to come Down Under. Meantime, for no other reason than this is another amazing video to watch, it’s worth understanding that fast, even 1500hp fast, is a relative term. The current fastest time at the Nurburgring is almost one and half minutes faster than the SU7 Ultra — 5min 19.546sec.
In the spirit of equal opportunity, that time was set not by an EV but by a hybrid. A Porsche, but a hybrid all the same…
