Xiaomi tests the European waters with SU7 Ultra as YU7 frenzy takes over China

While a lone, stealthy Xiaomi SU7 Ultra quietly navigates the streets of Munich with German plates, a full-blown storm is raging back in its homeland. As European regulators get their first official look at the high-performance SU7 sedan, hundreds of thousands of Chinese consumers are clamoring to get their hands on the company's first electric SUV, the YU7, creating a demand that has stunned the automotive world.

Xiaomi has officially registered and begun public road testing of its SU7 Ultra in Europe, with a production-spec model now legally cruising through Munich. The vehicle, with a license plate "M SU7088E," represents the company's first tangible step toward a future European launch. Lu Weibing, a key executive at Xiaomi, was personally in Munich to test drive the vehicle.

Prospective European buyers shouldn't hold their breath; the official availability of the Ultra is a long way off. Xiaomi's CEO, Lei Jun, has indicated that a global push is not expected until at least 2027. For now, this German-registered electric car serves as a technical validation unit, a meticulously planned teaser for a market it plans to eventually court.

The SU7 Ultra itself is a mid-to-large electric sedan measuring 196.7 inches in length with a 118 inches wheelbase. It has a curb weight of around 4,861 lb and an impressively low drag coefficient of 0.195. The performance figures are serious: a 0 to 62 mph sprint in a blistering 1.98 seconds and a top speed of 217 mph, courtesy of a 1,548-hp powertrain that has been tested on the demanding Nürburgring track. Electricity comes from a 93.7 kWh CATL Qilin II battery operating on an 897-volt architecture, providing a CLTC-rated range of up to 391 miles.

Back in China, the launch of the Xiaomi YU7 SUV has been a phenomenon. Within the first 72 hours, the company received just under 300,000 lock-in orders. The demand is so overwhelming that the waiting time for delivery has stretched to 62 weeks - that's nearly 15 months of waiting. The first batch of these highly anticipated electric cars was delivered on July 6, with company founder Lei Jun personally attending the ceremony to thank the first customers.

This instant success story is backed by a compelling product lineup with aggressive pricing. The YU7 comes in three flavors. The entry-level YU7 Standard features a single rear motor producing 235 kW (315 hp), a 96.2 kWh battery pack good for 516 miles (CLTC), and a price tag of RMB 253,500 (approximately $35,380).

The mid-tier YU7 Pro adds all-wheel drive with two motors for a combined 365 kW (489 hp), a 478 miles range from its 96.2 kWh battery, and costs RMB 279,900 ($39,060). Topping the range is the YU7 Max, an all-wheel-drive powerhouse with 508 kW (681 hp), a 3.23-second 0-62 mph time, a larger 101.7 kWh battery for a 472 miles range, and a price of RMB 329,900 ($46,040).

To meet the incredible demand, the YU7 is being assembled in the same factory as the SU7 sedan, as the dedicated second-phase plant has yet to start operations. Testing the waters in a mature market like Europe while at the same time dealing with an explosive domestic demand shows the scale of Xiaomi's ambition as it transforms from a consumer electronics company into an EV giant.

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