Source: Xiaomi

Since opening for pre-orders for the all-electric SUV Xiaomi YU7, the company has received a record number of pre-orders, breaking past Xiaomi YU7 received 200,000 pre-orders in first 3 min of launch, 289,000 in 1hr.

Even more impressive is the number of locked-in orders, which are placed with non-refundable deposits. Xiaomi received 120,000 locked-in orders in 3 minutes and reached Xiaomi YU7 buyers will have to wait an entire year (53-56 weeks).

Per the company’s website, waiting times for the YU7 are as long as 53-56 weeks for the Standard version. Given that the company’s annual production capacity is currently 300,000 units with two factories, these waiting times do align with the announced order volume.

The demand is unprecedented even compared to Tesla, which had reportedly received 200,000 pre-orders after over a month after the launch of the new Model Y “Juniper” earlier in January this year.

So how does the Xiaomi YU7 stack against its American rival, the Tesla Model Y, on paper? Let’s look at some key specs.

Price

Tesla currently sells two variants of the Model Y “Juniper” in China, the rear-wheel drive for 263,500 RMB and the long-range all-wheel drive for 313,500 RMB.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi once again undercut Model Y’s pricing (just like the SU7 with the Model 3) with the Standard version starting at 253,500 RMB (10,000 RMB cheaper).

The Pro and Max variants, both all-wheel drive models, are priced at 279,900 RMB and 329,900 RMB, respectively.

While the Max version is more expensive than the Model Y AWD, it is a “Performance” version of Xiaomi’s SUV, which Tesla has yet released its own performance variant.

Performance

The Model Y single rear motor offers 220 kW (299 horsepower) in maximum motor power while the long range version uses a 137 kW front motor and 194 kW rear motor for a total of 331 kW (450 horsepower).

On the other hand, the Xiaomi YU7 Standard version features a slightly more powerful single rear motor with 235 kW (320 horsepower) in motor power.

Its Max and Pro versions pack significantly more power with 130/235 kW (front and rear motors for a total of 365 kW) and 220/288 kW (508 kW).

In other words, every YU7 variants are equipped with more powerful drive motors, which translate to also superior acceleration times.

The YU7 Standard, Pro, and Max can achieve 100 km/h acceleration times of 5.88s, 4.27s, and 3.23s, respectively. Meanwhile, the Model Y RWD and AWD can race to 100km/h in 5.9s and 4.3s, respectively.

Driving range

So far, the YU7 comes in cheaper and more powerful than the Model Y. Next up is likely one of, if not the most important criteria in choosing an all-electric vehicle: driving range.

And on that, Xiaomi YU7 eclipses every all-electric SUV in the market, including the Tesla Model Y. The YU7’s base model has a CLTC range of 835km, far superior than Model Y RWD’s 593km driving range. The base model offers even more range than Tesla’s Long Range version, which can reach 719km.

The YU7’s Pro and Max versions, both all-wheel drives, also feature longer ranges than any Model Y variants, with 770km and 760km CLTC.

So how did Xiaomi manage to beat Tesla in driving range? Well, Xiaomi packed the Standard and Pro versions with 96.3 kWh FinDreams battery from BYD and a 101.7 kWh CATL battery on the Max version.

Those are much larger than Tesla’s 62.5kWh CATL and 78.4 kWh LG batteries found on the RWD and AWD versions.

Dimensions

As a reference point, the Tesla Model Y measures 4,797mm in length, 1,920mm in width, and 1,624mm in height with a 2,890mm wheelbase.

While Xiaomi has been very intentional to design an EV that benchmarks the Model Y, its YU7 is a much bigger SUV.

In fact, the YU7 measures 4,999/1,996/1,608mm (L/W/H) with a 3,000mm wheelbase, which is much closer in dimension to the Ferrari Purosangue, the SUV that it shares many design elements with.

Despite that larger body size, Xiaomi managed to make sure the car remains nimble, with a minimum turning radius of just 5.7 meters, compared to 6.065 meters for the Model Y.

The YU7 also features a larger frunk of 141 liter (vs 116L for the Model Y). However, part of the trade-off from the longer front compartment that gives that big frunk and Purosangue-like design is a smaller rear cargo space.

The Xiaomi YU7 has 678L in trunk space and 1,758L when rear seats are folded. Meanwhile, the Model Y offers 822L of rear cargo space and 2,022L with folded rear seats.

X-factor

The Xiaomi YU7 was designed from the ground up to outperform and exceed the Model Y in nearly every major specifications.

However, there’s also an X-factor to the YU7 craze that most people are not aware of: Xiaomi’s Founder, Chairman, and CEO Lei Jun is hailed as the Steve Jobs of China and has cultivated a loyal “Mi Fan” community.

Lei Jun resonates deeply with Chinese consumers, having led Xiaomi to become one of the leading smartphone manufacturers since founding the company in 2010.

From the beginning, he has embraced his vision to bring high-quality tech products at affordable prices to the average consumer, expanding outside of smartphones with interconnected devices and lifestyle products.

Having explicitly stated that Xiaomi's venture into electric vehicles will be his "last major entrepreneurial project" of his life, Lei Jun’s large fanbase continue to channel excitement for Xiaomi’s new EVs.