Xiaomi YU7 Electric SUV to be Launched on May 22; EV Plant Expansion On Track

After pulling a no-show at the 2025 Auto Shanghai expo last month, Xiaomi’s first electric SUV will formally be launched in China in just a few days. The model, which is expected to directly compete with Tesla’s Model Y in the high-volume SUV market, is already highly anticipated in its home country following the success of the SU7 sedan and its high-performance SU7 Ultra variant. Xiaomi has shown off images of the YU7 on its social media, and it has been spotted being tested on roads before now. 

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun announced on his Weibo account that the Xiaomi YU7 will be launched at 7pm local time on May 22 (4:30pm IST). The event also marks Xiaomi’s 15th anniversary. In addition to official teasers, quite a lot is already known about this car thanks to regulatory filings. It is expected to be just under 5m long with a 3m wheelbase. It will be equipped with one or two electric motors – up to 288kW + 220kW – for a top speed of 253kmph. Range should range from 670km to 820km as per CLTC tests (China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle), with battery options coming in at 96.3kWh and 101.7kWh. 

Official images of the YU7, released by Xiaomi, show a front design that largely matches the SU7, which was inspired by a droplet of water in zero gravity and engineered for extremely low drag, boosting speed and battery efficiency. On the rear, a ring-like taillight assembly sets this model apart from its sibling. Interiors have only been seen in spy shots so far, but buyers can expect a huge central touchscreen and connected features, all enabled by Xiaomi’s HyperOS software.  Prices and variant details are not yet known.

Along with the car, the company will disclose details about its new in-house processor for smartphones, which it is calling the Xring O1. This chip is expected to compete with Qualcomm and Mediatek’s top-end current-gen offerings, and will first be seen in the new flagship Xiaomi 15S Pro smartphone, also to be launched at the same event. A new flagship Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra tablet is also expected. Xiaomi says it has already spent 13.5 billion Yuan (approximately ₹16,000 crore) out of a planned 50 billion yuan (approximately ₹60,000 crore) long-term investment in semiconductor design. Derivatives of this chip and future generations will likely be used for future car models. 

Meanwhile, news reports in China point to construction of phase two of Xiaomi’s EV manufacturing plant near Beijing being at an advanced stage, which means it should be on schedule to begin operations by mid-June. Xiaomi is targeting deliveries of 3,50,000 units in 2025, up from an earlier target of 3,00,000. Construction of a third phase is said to have begun in parallel.

Xiaomi continues to rack up huge sales figures, with 28,000 units delivered in April 2025. Local media reports that wait times for an SU7 have stretched to around 40 weeks, indicating high sustained demand. However, things aren’t all positive for Xiaomi. A fatal crash involving an SU7, calling into question the safety of its self-driving features and prompting a national ban on advertising “autonomous” driving. The company was also recently under fire after users discovered that an expensive optional vented carbon fibre hood upgrade for the SU7 Ultra, which was promised to improve performance, was purely a cosmetic modification.

Xiaomi has not yet announced plans to make its EVs available outside China, though the company is reportedly exploring Europe as its first major export market for the SU7 and YU7. Additional factory capacity will be needed for any such expansion. India is not likely to be a target market for the company in the near future, even though the SU7 has been exhibited here.