How A Smartphone Company Took Down Porsche And Rimac
Xiaomi’s venture into the automotive world just reached a new milestone, with its SU7 Ultra setting a new performance benchmark on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Key Points
- Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra set a Nürburgring lap time of 7:04.95, beating the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and Rimac Nevera to become the fastest production EV around the track.
- The tri-motor electric sedan produces 1,527 hp, reaches 62 mph in under 2 seconds, and hit a GPS-verified 215 mph during its lap—faster than any production sedan, gas or electric.
- Despite its performance, the SU7 Ultra starts around $74,000 in China, dramatically undercutting rivals while demonstrating Xiaomi’s aggressive push into the performance EV market.
The Chinese smartphone maker just released new footage confirming the tri-motor SU7 sedan blazed a lap of Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 4.95 seconds, eclipsing some of the world’s most high-profile electric performance cars.
Although that time falls well short of a 6:46 lap set by one of Xiaomi's prototype SU7s last year, it’s still enough to edge out the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (7:07.55) and the Rimac Nevera (7:05.29), placing the Chinese EV atop the leaderboard for production electric vehicles on the full 20.8-kilometer circuit.
The record-setting SU7 Ultra was a production-spec example dressed up with an optional track package available to shoppers. Xiaomi maintains that this setup is fully representative of what owners in China can purchase today— although that hasn't been without controversy.
With three motors generating a combined 1,527 horsepower, the SU7 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 1.98 seconds. What's more, the car shattered the top speed benchmark for production sedans, reaching a GPS-verified 215 mph (346 km/h) during its lap. Xiaomi claims the SU7 Ultra could exceed 217 mph (350 km/h) under the right conditions.
Weighing over 5,200 pounds and measuring just over 201 inches long, the SU7 Ultra is both larger and heavier than a Porsche Taycan, yet it still outperformed it on one of the most demanding circuits in the world.
The car launched in China earlier this year with a starting price equivalent to around $74,000 USD. Its price and performance have put many legacy automakers competing in the EV space on notice.
An experienced automotive storyteller and accomplished photographer known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge—he was part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic, oversaw a fleet of Audi TCR race cars, ziptied Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars back together, been over the wall during the Rolex 24, and worked in the intense world of IndyCar.
More by Michael Accardi
Comments
Join the conversation
Chinese EV.....great.