China’s Xiaomi SU7: From Hype to Criticism, What Went Wrong?

China Xiaomi EV, SU7, criticized for low quality
Controversy arises from Xiaomi chairman’s remarks

The SU7, an EV launched by Xiaomi, attracted public attention and plagiarism controversy due to its sophisticated design, which resembled Porsche. This vehicle was launched with reasonable performance at an affordable price and received an explosive response, receiving over 50,000 orders in 27 minutes on the first day of pre-order and over 88,000 orders in 24 hours.

However, as time goes by, the overall level of completeness of the vehicle deteriorates, and various defects are discovered, causing people to build distrust. During a live broadcast on May 18, Xiaomi’s Chairman Lei Jun mentioned the driving range and life cycle of SU7, and this comment became controversial. What is it about?

Controversy over the lifespan of the SU7
Can it only travel up to 124,274 miles?

While discussing SU7, Chairman Lei Jun also talked about the vehicle’s life cycle. Among the remarks, the content of driving distance of 150,000 to 200,000 km (93,000 miles to 124,000 miles) was included, and the controversy arose when netizens watching the broadcast began to misunderstand this statement.

Some netizens also questioned whether Xiaomi SU7’s product lifespan is only up to 124,000 miles. After the remarks were made public, Xiaomi explained. They also revealed that they are testing with an intensity that exceeds the typical industry testing level and that they are testing a driving distance that is two to three times the industry level.

Popularity continues despite various defects
What is Xiaomi’s explanation?

Xiaomi then announced that it continues to uphold Xiaomi’s belief of investing 10 times the investment to make a good vehicle and maintains steady management by test driving about 100 mass-produced vehicles other than the test vehicle.

Some vehicles are tested for up to 150,000 to 200,000 km (93,000 miles to 124,000 miles), and the controversy over this statement appears to have arisen while a conversation was going on about the mileage of test vehicles. Before its official launch, the Xiaomi SU7 underwent approximately 5.4 million km (3.3 million miles) of test driving. As of May 19, it had reached 7 million km (4.3 million miles) of the target of 11 million km (6.8 million miles). In terms of production, it exceeded 10,000 units in early May, and it is said that production will increase to 20,000 units per month starting next month. It is said that all 2024 volumes have already been sold out, with orders exceeding 100,000 units.

Meanwhile, distrust continues despite the explosive popularity of Xiaomi SU7. This is because vehicle breakdown or malfunction cases continue to occur after delivery. Moreover, since they are not a manufacturer that used to make automobiles, they must show that they solve problems quickly to dispel fundamental doubts and anxieties.