The Germans tried a car from Xiaomi with the appearance and dynamics of a Porsche for the price of a Skoda. It is said that it is only good that they are not imported here

It raised huge expectations, but from the moment it was put on sale, something in connection with it rubs off. The Germans confirm this, according to them, the Xiaomi SU7 fails in what it should excel at, and excels where not much was expected of it.

The last few months and weeks have been one big roller coaster ride for Xiaomi. First, it had to deal with enormous interest in its first car, the SU7 model, which offered almost the same price as a Porsche for the price of a Skoda. Subsequently, however, it turned out that the car was not as good as people thought, moreover, it had to wait a long time. Customers have started to cancel orders again, because accelerating the already fast production is impossible in the foreseeable future.

Still, the head of the world’s third-largest mobile phone maker, Lei Jun, insists that within a maximum of 20 years, Xiaomi will become one of the five largest car companies on the planet. This is a very ambitious mission, the success of which will of course depend on whether the Porsche Taycan clone and Tesla Model S rival, which costs as much as the liter Skoda Octavia, is really as great as its creators describe. With the first test, colleagues from the German Auto Bild are now coming, who are as excited as they are disappointed about the car.

Let’s start with the negatives, which are actually surprising. As a smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi should be literally forged in technology. But the reality is the opposite, especially in the case of autonomous driving. This can only be activated at certain moments, while the control of the car is returned to you practically any time it doesn’t like something – for example, when there is a missing meter of road markings on the road. Automatic overtaking triggered by the turn signal lever then takes so long that the gap in the column disappears in the meantime.

However, the Chinese company hopes that by connecting the system to the Internet, autonomous driving will improve over time. In addition, unlike Tesla, Xiaomi is seen by the government as a national treasure, so it does not have to worry about any obstructions. The system can therefore use the cameras even where the American competition cannot aim. At the same time, the on-board system should also see a gradual expansion, which can now only be praised for being slowly compatible with everything Xiaomi has ever produced.

This brings us to the positives, basically the rest of the car. The Germans praise both the quality of production and, for example, the management. Although they point out that the SU7 is still not as strong in corners as the aforementioned Taycan or most BMW cars, this novelty stands out among cars built in China and can impress even enthusiasts. Especially after the driving mode is changed to sports and the car starts to react much more sharply. At the same time, acceleration or dynamics as such will also be improved.

Passengers will not suffer either, as Xiaomi can use five meters of length even better than Porsche, and that is what the Germans tried to do. Even though the SU7 looks like a low sports car, you can easily straighten your head in the front and back, and thanks to the three-meter wheelbase, you won’t have a problem with your legs either. Although the shape of the car restricts the rear luggage compartment, it is helped by the one in the front. Everything can be purchased from around 700,000 crowns, which is a third of the price of the Taycan.

So it seems that Xiaomi’s first product is on the way to success, but at the moment the Germans have no reason to regret that the car is not exported outside of China due to the huge domestic interest – it still needs to be fine-tuned. However, as soon as the Chinese learn to handle everything perfectly, the car will also head overseas. And then they will have something to fear from Porsche or Tesla.

The SU7 looks good and drives well, the problems are mainly related to the on-board systems. However, the Chinese connected them to the Internet so that they could learn. If everything falls into place, then here we have a brand that will torment many established competitors. Photo: Xiaomi

Source: Auto Bild

Petr Prokopec

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