The launch event for the Xiaomi SU7, which took place this Thursday in Beijing, was attended by the company's founder, Lei Jun, who announced the retail price of his big personal bet: around 27,000 euros for the entry-level model and 38,000 euros for the so-called Max.
"It's 30,000 yuan (3,851 euros) cheaper than the Model 3," said Lei, comparing the prices of his vehicle with Tesla's entry-level model, whose selling price in China starts at 245,900 yuan (31,571 euros).
Just 27 minutes after the official launch, the Chinese company had already received 50,000 orders for the electric sports car with which it made its debut in the sector.
"The goal is to have a dream car as good as Porsche and Tesla," announced the billionaire co-founder of the Chinese company in 2023, at the time of the launch of the brand's first electric car.
The Chinese manufacturer's first model has the characteristics of a sports car and many similarities to a Porsche Taycan, a design choice that was deliberate.
Although the Hong Kong stock exchange did not trade this Friday due to the Good Friday holiday, Xiaomi's shares in the United States recorded a significant recovery of 12.51% following the company's announcement.
The presentation, which was followed by more than two million viewers across various platforms, including China's WeChat, Youtube and X-Twitter, was attended by around a thousand people, including the CEOs of major Chinese brands such as Nio, Xpeng, Li Auto and BYD.
The launch of the Xiaomi SU7 follows the publication of a record annual profit for 2023 by the world champion of electric vehicles BYD, based in Shenzhen, in south-east China.
The Chinese electric vehicle market has expanded at breakneck speed in recent years. Several Chinese brands are now challenging the leading German, American and Japanese manufacturers.
The vehicle from Xiaomi, one of the leading Chinese brands for cell phones, touch-screen devices, connected watches, headphones or electric motorcycles, offers acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 2.78 seconds, as well as a top speed of 265 kilometers per hour in the highest range.
The car is available in three versions, Standard, Pro and Max, in nine colors, with the Standard version offering a range of up to 700 kilometers, compared to the 810 kilometers of the Max model, "an industry leader," said Lei Jun.
"We're very excited about the response to the SU7," said the founder of Xiaomi. The SU7 will go on sale in 211 stores in 39 Chinese cities within a month, from purchase to delivery of the vehicle, Lei added.
The SU7 is produced by Chinese manufacturer BAIC, with Xiaomi supplying software and electronic components for the vehicle.
The SU7's batteries are supplied by BYD, China's leading electric vehicle manufacturer, and CATL, another leading Chinese battery production group.
The group, which has not yet announced plans to sell the vehicle abroad, plans to launch more electric vehicle models in the future, with the aim of becoming one of the world's top five manufacturers in 15 to 20 years.
