Xiaomi YU7 SUV Reveal: Is This the $35K Tesla Killer?

The Xiaomi YU7 is finally here, and it is already shaking up the electric vehicle market in China. Unveiled today, this sleek electric sport utility vehicle comes with performance, technology, and pricing that could make even the most loyal Tesla fans do a double take. With a starting price of 253,500 Chinese Yuan, or just over 35,000 United States Dollars, it is a direct challenge to the Tesla Model Y—offering more features at a lower price.

Orders exploded immediately, with more than 200,000 placed in under three minutes. That is not just hype. Xiaomi is offering three versions of the YU7: the Standard rear-wheel drive model, the Pro all-wheel drive model, and the Max all-wheel drive flagship. The Standard version uses a 96.3 kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery and offers up to 835 kilometers of range under China’s CLTC cycle. The Pro has a similar battery, but slightly lower range at 770 kilometers due to its dual-motor setup, and it reaches 100 kilometers per hour in just 4.27 seconds. The Max model packs a 101.7 kilowatt-hour nickel-manganese-cobalt battery with 760 kilometers of range, but it hits 100 kilometers per hour in only 3.23 seconds.

The YU7 is built on Xiaomi’s Modena platform and features a massive 3,000 millimeter wheelbase. It also includes an 800-volt electrical architecture, 5.2C ultra-fast charging, and autonomous driving hardware powered by Nvidia’s Thor chip delivering 700 tera operations per second. There is also a full surround-sensor suite with lidar, radar, and high-resolution cameras. Xiaomi has tested this vehicle for over 539 days across 6.49 million kilometers in 296 cities.

Inside, you get a 1.1 meter Mini LED heads-up display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip for infotainment, and a luxurious, tech-heavy cabin. It is fast, sleek, intelligent, and practical. Xiaomi is betting big on its automotive division, aiming to reach 350,000 deliveries in 2025 and achieve profitability by the second half of the year.

If you are even remotely interested in the electric vehicle market, the YU7 is a model worth watching.