2026 Xiaomi YU7 SUV arrives with go to match the show

Chinese EV brand Xiaomi has launched its first-ever SUV, with the 2026 Xiaomi YU7 blending its trademark McLaren-style front lights with styling that appears like a mash-up of the Ferrari Purosangue and the previous-gen Porsche Macan.

On sale in China this July with three powertrains that include a dual-motor version with upwards of 508kW, the latest YU7 has been created to target the latest Porsche Macan Turbo EV, although its size means it’s a much bigger vehicle.

More a large SUV than a mid-sizer, the YU7 is the second car alongside the SU7 sedan to share the firm’s Modena architecture and measures in at 4999mm long, 1996mm wide and 1608mm tall, with a long 3000mm wheelbase. Those figures make it 215mm longer, 58mm wider but 15mm lower than a Macan EV, with a 107mm longer wheelbase for much more room within.

From launch, the cheapest version will be the YU7 RWD that sports a single e-motor to drive the rear wheels. Producing 235kW and 528Nm of torque, the sprint to 100km/h takes 5.9 seconds.

Combined with a 96.3kWh battery, the YU7 RWD can cover up to a maximum of 835km between charges.

The mid-spec YU7 Pro AWD adds a second motor providing all-wheel drive and boosting power and torque to 365kW and 690Nm, for a 4.3 second 0-100km/h sprint. Combined with the same 96.3kWh battery, the Pro AWD can still drive up to 770km.

At the top of the tree lurks the fastest YU7 Max, which musters an epic 508kW and 866Nm of torque. Off the line Xiaomi claims its flagship SUV beats the Porsche Macan Turbo by 0.1sec, with its scorching 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 3.2 seconds.

The most expensive YU7 gets a larger 101.7kWh nickel manganese battery in place of the other versions’ lithium iron phosphate cells and can cover 760km before needing to be plugged in. It’s worth pointing out that all the ranges were recorded on the lenient Chinese CLTC test cycle, so the figures will fall when converted to European WLTP figures.

As well as being supercar-quick off the line, Xiaomi has fitted all variants of its YU7 with a powerful 800-volt silicon carbide electrical system that sees as much as 620km of range added in 15 minutes.

Protecting the advanced battery and embedded tech from harm, the powerpack is shielded by a new bulletproof cage.

Engineers have also added extra strength to the SUV’s A- and B-pillars for the highest levels of rollover protection.

Guaranteeing class-leading autonomous driving tech, the YU7 comes with both LiDAR and Nvidia Drive AGX Thor hardware that, combined with further radar and cameras, should see it possess Level 3 autonomous driving for a fully driverless experience in restricted geofenced areas, like highways.

Later, it will be upgraded to Level 4 tech, which will allow the Xiaomi SUV to drive autonomously without restrictions.

Tech carried over from the current Taycan-rivalling SU7 sedan includes a digital key, Nappa leather ‘zero gravity’ seats that recline and feature a 10-point massage function up front. In the second row there’s a pair of recliners designed to offer maximum comfort on a cruise.

Ahead of the driver and passenger the YU7 gets the brand’s massive 1.1m-wide HyperVision screen that blends three screens behind a single piece of glass.

All run a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip that is so powerful the whole system takes just 1.35 seconds to boot-up.

Over-the-air updates, meanwhile, can be carried out in less than 15 minutes.

Following its unveiling, the Chinese EV start-up faced intense criticism on social media over the lack of originality when it came to the YU7’s Ferrari-aping design, with Xiaomi not helping itself by launching the SUV in a similar shade of green as the Purosangue launch colour.

The latest controversy is small beer compared to the other scandals that have hit the car-maker, which was only founded three years ago.

The plan was originally to launch the Xiaomi YU7 back in April until the brand underwent intense scrutiny over a fatal crash at the end of March that saw an SU7 hit a barrier and catch fire, killing all three female college students in the car.

The incident raised concerns publicly over the Xiaomi SU7’s autonomous driving aids, door lock mechanisms and battery safety.

Other less dramatic issues have included owners calling out Xiaomi for paid-for performance-boosting dual air ducts that turned out to be purely decorative, complaints raised over warped front bumpers and a big backlash over a software update that limited the power output.

In China the Xiaomi YU7 has been hinted to arrive with pricing that will undercut the recently facelifted Tesla Model Y, despite each version offering more advanced tech and coming with a longer range.

Xiaomi has repeatedly announced that it plans to export its growing range of EVs globally but has yet to provide a timeline for when cars will land in right-hand drive markets.

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