Starting from 253,500 yuan, 200,000 units secured in 3 minutes: Has Xiaomi YU7 arrived?

After much anticipation, the Xiaomi YU7 has finally unveiled all its features.

The series of pre-launch activities did not diminish the public's expectations for the Xiaomi YU7, as the most critical factor, the price, was only officially announced at this moment.

There has been much speculation about the actual price of the Xiaomi YU7, and Lei Jun has repeatedly issued "preventive warnings" on Weibo, trying to manage expectations. However, ultimately, with the SU7 as a reference, the pricing of the Xiaomi YU7 still falls within a relatively reasonable range.

Directly looking at it, the Xiaomi YU7 is available in three versions: the standard version is priced at 253,500 yuan; the Pro version is priced at 279,900 yuan; and the top-end Max version is priced at 329,900 yuan.

Another key point is that Lei Jun announced that the official will temporarily open the order modification channel for the SU7. If SU7/SU7 Ultra users have locked their orders but have not yet delivered, they can modify their orders to YU7 through the App.

Compared to its main competitor, the Tesla Model Y, the pricing of the Xiaomi YU7 is quite precise; with a certain price advantage, it can also compete with richer configurations, especially some highlight features that carry emotional value.

Therefore, the focus of the official launch conference revolves around "emotional value." The Xiaomi YU7, as always, has put considerable thought into the details.

01 A More Comprehensive Basic Experience

Before introducing the product points mentioned for the first time at the launch conference, let's quickly review the basic information of the Xiaomi YU7.

As a mid-to-large pure electric SUV, the dimensions of the Xiaomi YU7 are 4999x1996x1608 (1600) mm, with the standard version being slightly taller than the other two versions; the wheelbase is 3000 mm.

Compared to the SU7, the YU7 has seen a comprehensive enhancement in its basic capabilities.

In terms of the three electric systems, all three versions of the YU7 are equipped with an 800V high-voltage platform, with the standard and Pro versions featuring a 96.3 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery provided by Fudi; the Max version uses a battery from CATL, with ternary lithium cells and a capacity of 101.7 kWh, capable of fast charging at a rate of up to 5.2C.

In terms of range performance, the standard version of the Xiaomi YU7 has a range of 835 km (CLTC conditions, same below), the Pro version has 770 km, and the Max version has 760 km. The three versions of the YU7 have different performance characteristics. The standard version features a single motor rear-wheel drive configuration with a total power of only 230kW and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 5.8 seconds. The Pro version upgrades to a dual motor all-wheel drive with a total power of 365kW and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 4.27 seconds. The most powerful Max version also has a dual motor all-wheel drive but with enhanced motor performance, boasting a total power of 508kW and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3.23 seconds.

In terms of intelligence, the Xiaomi YU7 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile chip to drive the cockpit system, while the intelligent assisted driving system is powered by the NVIDIA Thor-U with a computing power of 700 Tops.

Additionally, the Xiaomi YU7 comes standard with laser radar across all versions, meaning that the intelligent assisted driving capabilities will remain consistent across different versions.

In terms of color options, in addition to the previously announced four colors, Xiaomi unveiled five new colors at this launch event, bringing the total number of paint colors for the YU7 to nine.

The interior color options also reach four, allowing for a total of 36 combinations of interior and exterior colors for the Xiaomi YU7.

Overall, the YU7 is indeed built on the same platform as the SU7, but the configuration has been significantly enhanced, making the basic experience no longer the main criterion for distinguishing between different versions. Because of this, some comfort features with "emotional value" become particularly important, but it should be noted that they are not "standard across all versions."

02 Balancing Technology, Sports, and Family Scenarios

Next is the highlight of this launch event. Whether the "emotional value configurations" can "break through" and how much they can stand out, along with the experience of a series of configurations, will likely be a barometer for the future sales of the YU7.

Interior Space

First, let's talk about the seating experience. The YU7 offers optional dual zero-gravity seats for the driver and front passenger. Lei Jun introduced that this seat has a 12-layer structure, with the wrapping material being NAPPA leather.

As for the rear seats, the highlight is the electric adjustable backrest, which can reach a maximum angle of 135°, providing better seating comfort.

Moreover, although the YU7 is a sports model, the interior space performance is quite good. The official figures indicate that the front row headroom is 100mm, rear row headroom is 77mm, and rear legroom reaches 73mm

The Xiaomi YU7 has specially designed storage spaces, such as the storage drawer under the rear seats. Lei Jun stated that this is one of his favorite design details.

In terms of space, the YU7 conveys the message that although it is a product focused on sports performance, it can also accommodate family scenarios. In this car, the "color TV, refrigerator, and big sofa" can at least be achieved through various means (such as optional features or adding seat tablets), giving it a fighting chance against certain new force products.

After discussing the performance in terms of space, we move on to other comfort features, such as sound insulation and sun protection.

The improvement in sound insulation is mainly achieved by upgrading to better double-layer laminated glass. For the Max version, Lei Jun claimed that the sound insulation performance of the YU7 is only slightly worse than that of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, but "far exceeds products in the same class."

The sun protection capability, which has received good reviews on the SU7, has been further enhanced in the YU7. The main solutions include upgrading the front windshield and the four door glasses to improve heat insulation and sun protection; for the large glass sunroof, the main approach of the YU7 is to add EC light-sensitive adjustment function.

Chassis Control

Next are some "hard dishes," which are new updates on performance and handling.

Regarding chassis capabilities, the Xiaomi YU7 Max benefits from the addition of adjustable damping shock absorbers and dual-chamber air suspension, which naturally provides the road preview function that can adjust the suspension in real-time based on road conditions for better road passability and riding comfort.

Another "Easter egg" is that the Xiaomi YU7 Max is equipped with a variable steering ratio function for the steering wheel. In scenarios such as high-speed straight-line driving and turning, the system will adjust the steering ratio in real-time to enhance the overall handling of the vehicle.

Moreover, the VGR variable steering ratio feature is standard across the entire YU7 lineup. As for the "road preview" function, it is naturally unavailable in the standard version due to the lack of air springs.

Smart Ecosystem

The cabin experience of the Xiaomi YU7 was briefly mentioned, likely because the previously highlighted PHUD panoramic screen was introduced at the pre-release conference. This time, Lei Jun's introduction of the YU7 cabin was relatively restrained.

Of course, there were also some impressive points, primarily the enhancement of Xiao Ai's multimodal perception capabilities. The application scenarios mentioned at the launch included automatic labeling of high-risk events in sentinel mode and connecting to Xiao Ai on the phone for quick vehicle location.

Additionally, the Xiaomi YU7 is equipped with multiple external microphones, allowing the owner to open the front trunk lid with voice commands from outside the vehicle, thanks to voiceprint recognition.

From this, it can be seen that the Xiaomi YU7 has made significant improvements in ecological connectivity compared to the SU7.

This is first reflected in the support for a wider range of accessories. The YU7 has added multiple magnetic contact points, and Xiaomi has designed magnetic contact points for more accessories, including tissue boxes, to meet users' customization needs.

Xiaomi also announced that it has begun ecological cooperation with companies such as BYD and Zhengzhou Nissan, hoping that more companies will join Xiaomi's automotive accessory ecosystem. For Apple users, the YU7 has deeper integration with Apple CarPlay, natively supporting applications like Apple Music.

Smart Driving

Finally, we arrive at the smart assisted driving section, as one of the main selling points of the YU7 is the standard high-level assisted driving capability across the entire lineup. At the same time, Lei Jun announced that Xiaomi's HAD smart assisted driving system will soon be upgraded to the 10 million Clips version, with the main change being a more "human-like" experience.

Lei Jun also previewed that Xiaomi's XLA large model will arrive in the second half of this year. According to previous introductions, the Xiaomi XLA large model is a type of multimodal large model capable of recognizing audio, images, and text information.

In other words, after upgrading to the XLA large model, Xiaomi's smart assisted driving will theoretically have stronger environmental information perception capabilities, further enhancing its "understanding" of the real world This technical route is similar to the VLA model of Li Auto and the Nio World model.

03 The Real "Model Y Killer"?

In terms of price, the Xiaomi YU7 is actually a product with a stronger "Xiaomi flavor" compared to the SU7 released last year—it emphasizes cost-effectiveness more, and its "hard power" stands out more when compared to competitors.

This may indicate that the strategy for the Xiaomi YU7 might be somewhat different from that of the SU7. From today's perspective, the Xiaomi SU7 does not emphasize cost-effectiveness as much; its popularity mainly relies on the "emotional value" of the product itself.

So, can the Xiaomi YU7, with a more "traditional" approach, replicate the sales success of the SU7? While most people's answer may be affirmative, after watching the launch event, I believe it is still necessary to put a "question mark" on this.

The core issue is that the YU7 is certainly an "upgraded and enhanced version" of the SU7, with a more outstanding product definition and higher completion. However, because of this, the breakthroughs it brings are relatively limited. The series of features mentioned at the launch event, such as sound insulation and sun protection, are essentially improvements and upgrades relative to the SU7.

Will such a degree of change, combined with a pricing that is merely "in line with expectations," allow consumers to feel the "emotional value"?

Perhaps the stunning achievement of over 200,000 orders in 3 minutes can prove that our concerns are unnecessary?

Returning to the topic of the "Model Y killer," the Xiaomi YU7 is almost the final answer to the proposition. Given Xiaomi's current brand presence, it will undoubtedly be the biggest competitor to the Model Y in the current market environment.

Conversely, this may be the best and last opportunity for new Chinese car manufacturers to completely break the Model Y monopoly.

Do you think the Xiaomi YU7 can succeed?

Risk Warning and Disclaimer

The market has risks, and investment requires caution. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and does not take into account the specific investment goals, financial situation, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article are suitable for their specific circumstances. Investing based on this is at your own risk