Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has unveiled its first electric supercar, aiming to beat Porsche and Tesla to set a speed record at the Nürburgring.
The car revealed is a prototype of Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra, which is designed as a wild track-focused variant of the regular SU7 sedan that was launched late last year. That regular sedan was the brand’s first car and was officially launched in China in March.
Xiaomi benchmarked the SU7 Ultra against similar products Porsche Taycan And Tesla Model Sand the company has stated its intention to set a lap record around the Nürburgring Nordschleife for a four-door car.
The car will be powered by three electric motors and will be glued to the ground with downforce-generating aerodynamics. A more streamlined production version is expected next year.
The SU7 Ultra is set to use Xiaomi’s own electric motors – two “Super Motor V8s” and one “Super Motor V6”. Confusingly, there are no V8 or V6 petrol engines to be seen.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said the company developed the engine itself and the Super Motor V8 produces power equivalent to an internal combustion V8 engine, which is where the name comes from.
The Super Motor V8 produces 425kW of power and 635Nm of torque, while the Super Motor V6 produces 288kW but no specific torque figures are given.
All three engines will combine to produce a total power output of 1138kW while still allowing for a four-wheel drive setup with torque vectoring.
This helps the SU7 accelerate from 0-100km/h in 1.97 seconds, from 0-200km/h in 5.96 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 350km/h.
Power for the SU7 Ultra will come from a Qilin 2.0 battery pack developed by Chinese battery maker CATL. This is a racing battery built on the 897V architecture, delivering a maximum power of 1330kW and over 800kW even at 20% charge.
For comparison, the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT uses 800V technology in its battery pack, while the Tesla Model S Plaid is equipped with a 400V structure.
Additionally, the track-focused SU7 Ultra has no interior amenities and is built from lightweight carbon fibre, bringing the total weight down to 1900kg. It features a number of aerodynamic elements over the standard SU7, notably a fixed rear wing, oversized rear diffuser, wheel arch cutouts and a front splitter to generate 2145kg of downforce at top speed.
Stopping power is provided by brake discs that are said to be capable of withstanding temperatures of over 800 degrees Celsius. They will be combined with six-piston calipers developed by AP Racing, giving the car a stopping distance from 100km/h of just 25 meters.
To win the four-door crown at “Green Hell,” the SU7 Ultra will need to outdo the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Time 7:07.55 when it hits the track in October this year.
Another benchmark is the Tesla Model S Plaid, which completed a lap of the Nordschleife in 7:25.231 when equipped with the optional Track Pack.
According to the source, Xiaomi intends to return to the Nürburgring in 2025 to test another lap time with the production version of the SU7 Ultra.
THAN: Former BMW designer gives smartphone maker stamp of approval for electric cars
THAN: Porsche beats Tesla with electric car lap time at Nürburgring
