Image: Xiaomi via Lei Jun on X
Last July, Xiaomi, one of the world’s leading smartphone companies, and now also one of the latest EV makers, dropped a bombshell by showcasing it’s SU7 Ultra model, a tri-motor high-performance electric sedan.
Now, this car has set a lap record for the fastest four-door production car at the iconic Nürburgring race track in Germany.
The SU7 Ultra lapped the ring in under 7 minutes 5 seconds on the almost 21 km track, outdoing the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package, which was 2 seconds slower.
The Porsche with the Weissach package was also missing the rear seats, which made the car lighter compared to a conventional Taycan Turbo GT.
On X, Xiaomi’s founder and CEO, Lei Jun said he was proud to have set the fastest electric production car in Nürburgring history, and suggested the record will soon be broken again, including by Xiamoi.
Jun also shared the footage of the lap, which shows the sheer speed of the SU7 Ultra and its braking capabilities, thanks to the carbon-ceramic brake package that comes as standard on the car.
Along with the video of this lap, Jun said: “7’04″957 — official uncut Nürburgring footage. I’ve watched it more than ten times, and every time my heart still races. Incredibly proud of our team!”
The SU7 Ultra electric sedan has some impressive specs, starting with the headline power figure. It’s powered by three electric motors to deliver 1548 horsepower or over 1100 kW.
The tri-motor powertrain will help launch the car from 0-100 km/h in just 1.97 seconds. On top of that, the setup will help the SU7 prototype reach speeds in excess of 350 km/h.
The powertrain is fed by CATL’s latest Qilin battery, which is optimised for performance vehicles.
According to previous reports, it’s capable of delivering a maximum output of 1330 kW at a higher state of charge.
The same pack can be recharged in less than 12 minutes, making it ideal for race track conditions.
The SU7 comes with high-performance racing brake callipers designed by AP Racing. These help the car stop quickly even when the brakes reach temperatures above 800 C.
The sedan has a large wing at the back that helps it produce a maximum downforce of 2145 kg. That helps the car stay planted when on the track as seen by its latest Nürburgring lap time.
It’s also 15 kg lighter than the new Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Weissach edition which as mentioned earlier, took the crown last year for fastest four-door production electric car around the famous Nürburgring track. That’s obviously been outdone by the SU7 Ultra this week.
It’s astonishing to see such a high-performance car from such a young company. The first official deliveries of the standard SU7 began in April last year.
The SU7 Ultra deliveries began in March with well over 10,000 confirmed orders received on the high-performance model.
The latest lap time only sets the foundation for what Xiaomi has planned and with Jun, the company’s CEO so invested in high-performance racing and the development of it’s cars, it’s only a matter of time before the SU7 Ultra is upgraded to beat the 7 minutes mark,
On a recent trip to China, I was lucky enough to drive the SU7 Ultra and, being a performance EV fan, it truly blew my mind as to how well the car handled on the road. On the track, though, with 1,138 kW at your disposal, it’d be a different beast altogether.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.
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From phone-making to beating every legacy auto company on your first attempt. Wow,
Are they both excessive? Or is it the owners?
Is it the fastest 4 door production car or the fastest four door production electric car?
The answer is Yes.
Hey… BESTED is not a word.
Depending on desired sentence tense, one can say “Astonishing: Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra EV sets fastest production car lap, beating Porsche” or “Astonishing: Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra EV sets fastest production car lap, bettering Porsche”
Use of the abomination should be a criminal offence that results in a mandatory minimum custodial sentence.
It's actually more accurate than your suggestions when it's sliced and diced. It's not a new word, you just don't like it. All cranky pendants should be summarily banned from social media, except for me.
I'm not averse to a little pendantry but what i can't abide is a want of poofreading.
”All cranky pendants should be summarily banned from social media, except for me”
Oh I love a little pedantry, especially when it’s accurate and warranted.
I’ll keep fighting the good fight, even if it’s an entirely hopeless and futile mission. Never give up, never give in, never surrender.
Don’t get me started on “loose”…
Good for you!
You're up against generations of refugees from modern education.
One point deducted for the gratuitous trump-speak.