Xiaomi SU7 Ultra: Exploring unfamiliar territory

No one can say they weren’t warned. Back in October, Xiaomi already rattled the Porsche community with a near-record lap around the Nürburgring. Back then, it was still a prototype of the new performance model, and the 6:46.874 wasn’t recognised as an official best time. But now, the high-flyer is in series production as the SU7 Ultra and has returned to the Eifel. And this time, with official blessing, obliterated the Porsche Taycan’s record lap.

7:04.957 – no electric car and no four-door production model has lapped the Nordschleife faster than this Chinese EV. Its three motors – one in the front and two at the rear – produce up to 1,140 kW. And the SU7 Ultra prototype later even undercut its own record by a staggering 24 seconds with a lap time of 6:22.091.

That fits perfectly with the young and dynamic history of the electronics giant, which only entered car manufacturing less than three years ago. Just as Apple officially buried its iCar plans, Xiaomi launched its electric debut – and smashed every sales record: within weeks, 100,000 orders were in, and even notoriously impatient Chinese customers had to wait six months for delivery.

For the Ultra, Xiaomi has now stepped things up again. Where the standard SU7 already capped out at an unusual 495 kW, they’re now adding more than double that. To achieve this, they’ve fitted what they euphemistically call their V8 motors in the rear, spinning up to 27,200 rpm – faster than almost any other electric motor. There’s also an 800-volt battery, which with 93.7 kWh enables a Chinese standard range of 630 kilometres and charges as quickly as racing driver Vincent Radermecke lapped the Nordschleife.

If you find the right DC charger, you can expect up to 489 kW and go from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as eleven minutes. And because they’re serious about racing, they’ve optimised the thermal management of the cells, cooling, and ventilation: the Ultra can complete two laps of the Nordschleife without overheating, promise the developers – and that’s probably enough, as after the second lap the driver will also be at their limit, unless they’re a pro.

Just like two years ago with the SU7’s debut, the ‘Ultra’ has been met with impressive demand: when order books opened on 27 February, 6,900 orders were recorded within ten minutes, and after two hours the annual target of 10,000 vehicles was reached. That’s partly down to fascination with its absurd performance figures, and patriotic pride that China can now take on Porsche & co. But it’s also thanks to the almost laughable price. Because although the SU7 Ultra matches Porsche’s strongest models in power, acceleration, and top speed – and even comes close to Bugatti, Ferrari, or Rimac – it costs just 529,900 yuan for the standard version and 814,900 yuan for the Nürburgring edition, or the equivalent of €64,000 and €98,000, respectively – far less than a Porsche Taycan, not to mention the top Turbo GT model. And that includes a 24-carat gold Xiaomi logo on the bonnet.

The first cars have now been delivered, and while racing drivers battled for every hundredth of a second at the Nürburgring, we took this top athlete for a first test drive in Beijing. Despite its many design cues borrowed from Zuffenhausen, making it pass as a Taycan clone, the SU7 Ultra feels surprisingly tame and everyday-friendly. True, it wears prominent spoilers, splitters and fins, and to keep weight to a respectable 2.4 tonnes, the entire body is crafted from carbon. Inside, you sit in relatively tight bucket seats, facing decor that – with its contrasting colours, carbon fibres, and a 12 o’clock stripe marking in body colour on the steering wheel – makes a clear dynamic statement.

But it doesn’t feel like a beast barely kept on a leash, constantly straining to break free. Instead, it glides calmly along the ring roads of China’s capital with an impressive level of residual comfort. Even rear passengers, with ample space thanks to a three-metre wheelbase, have little cause for complaint. And that’s not just because Xiaomi limits power to a still considerable 662 kW when the navigation doesn’t detect a racetrack or range drops below 300 km. More than anything, it’s down to the finely balanced chassis with dual-chamber air suspension, good steering, and well-calibrated drive modes.

But even in light traffic on the city outskirts, you sense a certain presence and precision absent in many other Chinese EVs. Where Nio & co. waft you from A to B with comfortable indifference, the SU7 Ultra feels engaged and passionate, conveying a clear sense of the road, smoothing out minor bumps cleanly, and holding its line with precision. And even when braking casually for a red light, you can feel the bite of the mighty callipers on the 430 mm carbon discs, hinting at their stopping power when needed. From 100 to 0 kph in 30.8 metres and decelerating ten times in a row from 180 kph to a standstill without fading – that’s a statement many other EVs, and some classic sports cars, simply can’t match.

Then your passenger suddenly tells you there are no cameras or police patrols on the next stretch, and you can see what the car can really do. Even at two-thirds power, it’s more than enough. The punch when you launch with kickdown, catapulting you to 100 kph in under two seconds, hits like a bolt from the blue, pushing the driver’s perception to its limits with its explosive acceleration. And before you’ve gathered yourself again – realising neither a Lucid Air Sapphire, Tesla Model S Plaid, nor Porsche Taycan Turbo GT can keep up – you’ve hit 200 kph in 5.86 seconds, carving through corners with such verve and confidence it borders on terrifying.

You do not fear for your life, but for your driving licence. And that’s without even mentioning the unprecedented 350 kph top speed, which in China could probably land you “life without parole”. Because, unlike so many supposed super- or hypersport EVs from China, the Xiaomi isn’t just fast in a straight line; it inspires at least as much confidence in cornering as a Taycan – precise, predictable, and controllable. Chapeau China, the engineers have done a fine job.

Alongside its driving dynamics honed to please even hardcore petrolheads, there’s – as any smartphone generation car must offer – plenty of digital gimmickry. So if, after all that racing or at least later in Beijing’s evening traffic, you scroll through the giant touchscreen, you’ll find more telemetry data than an F1 pit wall, and layouts for over a dozen of the world’s racetracks – Nürburgring included.

As quick as Xiaomi was on the Nordschleife, they’re taking their time with expansion plans – they won’t launch abroad until 2027, President Lu Weibing recently announced, leaving it open which markets they’ll target first. That may be because the SU7 operates in a segment where electrification doesn’t look the most promising. Not for nothing has the Porsche Taycan become something of a shelf warmer, turning from flagship to worry child for Stuttgart.

But the rapid four-door doesn’t have to clear the path westward alone. A few weeks ago, Xiaomi unveiled its second model, the YU7 (and priced it just recently), a distinctly dynamic SUV positioned against the Porsche Macan, Audi Q6, and higher Model Y trims – one that would surely have better chances here.