Xiaomi’s new YU7 spells trouble for Tesla in China

Xiaomi unveiled its hotly anticipated YU7 electric SUV in China today, in the latest potential blow to Tesla’s position in the world’s hottest EV market. The electronics giant says the YU7 will get up to 518 miles of range on certain trims and accelerate from 0–62mph in just 3.23 seconds. The new EV, which is […]

May 23, 2025 - 09:20

Xiaomi’s new YU7 spells trouble for Tesla in China

image of Xiaomi YU7 electric SUV in green — The Xiaomi YU7 matches the Tesla Model Y in size and acceleration, but demolishes it in range. | Image: Xiaomi

Xiaomi unveiled its hotly anticipated YU7 electric SUV in China today, in the latest potential blow to Tesla’s position in the world’s hottest EV market.

The electronics giant says the YU7 will get up to 518 miles of range on certain trims and accelerate from 0–62mph in just 3.23 seconds. The new EV, which is widely considered to be China’s version of the Apple car that ultimately failed to materialize, will be available for reservations starting in July.

The YU7 comes on the heels of the SU7, which has been a huge success for Xiaomi since deliveries began in March 2024. The company said it has sold over 200,000 SU7s as of April 2025, surpassing global EV sales for Ford and GM both.

But more importantly, the YU7 is being positioned as a direct competitor to the Tesla Model Y, which is Elon Musk’s company’s global bestseller. Xiaomi has been very clear about its intent to dethrone the Model Y in China. In response to Tesla’s refreshed Model Y, Xiaomi founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun responded by posting a size comparison between the two EVs. Yes, a literal EV-measuring contest.

Like the SU7, the YU7 will come in three variants (hat tip to Electrek for the helpful chart):

YU7 variant	Powertrain	Battery chemistry/size	Range	Power	0-100km/h acceleration
Standard	single RWD	LFP/96.3 kWh	835 km (519 miles)	320 Ps (~316 hp)	5.88 sec
Pro	dual AWD	LFP/96.3 kWh	770 km (479 miles)	496 Ps (~489 hp)	4.27 sec
Max	dual AWD	Lithium ternary/101.7 kWh	760 km (472 miles)	690 Ps (~681 hp)	3.23 sec

The YU7 has a lot more going for it, including its sleek, sports car looks. The vehicle is comparable to the Model Y in size and acceleration, but demolishes Musk’s SUV in terms of range. In his presentation, Lei Jun said that range is the number one consideration for EV buyers, which led Xiaomi to develop an SUV that would be a class leader.

On its website, Xiaomi described the Standard, single-motor YU7 as “the longest-range pure electric SUV with a sub-100 kWh battery and the top performer in the mid-to-large-size pure electric SUV category, achieving truly breakthrough range leadership.”

Other notable features include a Nvidia Drive AGX Thor in-vehicle computing platform, active air suspension, and an 800-volt architecture — with a peak voltage of 897V — that can fast-charge from 10–80 percent in 12 minutes, as well as add 620 km (385 miles) of charge in just 15 minutes.

Of course, whether the YU7 will truly oust the Model Y from its perch will depend on its price — and we’re not getting that detail until closer to July 2025.

Correction, May 23rd: This article originally referred to the YU7 as the PU7 in error. It has been amended throughout.