Can Xiaomi YU7 continue to be a blockbuster miracle?

Xiaomi SUV made a surprise appearance without any official warm-up.

Yesterday, Xiaomi's new vehicle, a pure electric SUV, appeared on the new vehicle announcement of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Subsequently, the official Xiaomi released a group photo of the Xiaomi car family, revealing the name of this SUV: YU7, and stating that the new vehicle will be launched in June or July next year.

As expected, automotive consumers once again got excited, and YU7 quickly rushed to the top search lists on various social platforms.

Users who like SUV models can't wait and express their firm intention to purchase; some users who had high expectations raised by SU7 say that YU7 seems not that amazing; even some users say that the fully hidden door handle of YU7 "betrays" Xiaomi consumers.

However, in a publicly disclosed patent application of Xiaomi, it can be seen that the opening operation method of this fully hidden door handle cover is to push inward rather than pop out. But this is only a patent, and Xiaomi has not announced more design details.

Compared to the highly praised SU7, Xiaomi's second vehicle has faced more complex problems since its image was revealed. Then, is it possible for YU7 to continue the miracle of being a hit?

Xiaomi YU7 

What kind of vehicle is Xiaomi YU7?

First, let's look at the body size.

The new vehicle announcement shows that the length, width, and height of Xiaomi YU7 are 4999/1996/1600mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 3 meters. Judging from the data, this is an SU7 that is taller and wider. With a vehicle length approaching 5 meters and a width approaching 2 meters, such a large-sized SUV model is not common in pure electric vehicles.

The Tesla Model Y, with a monthly sales volume of 40,000, has a body size of only 4750/1921/1624mm, and a wheelbase of 2890mm. In terms of length, width, and wheelbase, the size of Xiaomi YU7 is larger. The overall size of YU7 is closer to the extended-range SUV Li Xiang L8, but it is more sporty and low-profile in height.

From the product real-shot images, as an SUV, its front retains the characteristics of a sedan: slender, and the muscle line design of the front cover is the same as that of SU7. The rear of the vehicle does not adopt the currently popular fastback design, but instead has a more traditional sporty SUV atmosphere. In terms of the overall shape, Xiaomi YU7 is more like a heightened station wagon.

Compared to SU7, this SUV has some detailed changes. For example, a new style is designed for the wheels, the headlight assembly has new modifications, the rear tires are widened to 275mm, and the aerodynamics has been significantly optimized.

The door handle of YU7 is changed from semi-hidden to fully hidden, the front cover has more diversion holes, and the intake hole area on both sides of the fender is larger. These designs seem to be striving to reduce the wind resistance coefficient.

For the Xiaomi YU7 with a curb weight of 2.4 tons, a reduction in the wind resistance coefficient means an increase in the cruising range. And the cruising ability was precisely a major selling point of Xiaomi SU7.

In general, Xiaomi YU7 is a large-sized sporty pure electric SUV.

The styling design of YU7 indeed has a relatively unique appreciation value in the field of new energy SUVs. However, due to the design's compromise to the shape, the height of Xiaomi YU7 is only 1.6 meters. As a pure electric vehicle, the thickness of the battery placed at the bottom will also occupy the interior space, and the space design challenge of Xiaomi YU7 is not small.

Based on the price of SU7, it is highly likely that the starting price of this YU7 built on the same platform will be between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan. The main audience for such a pure electric SUV product at this price range is young family users.

And Xiaomi YU7 will also directly face the user competition of this pragmatist group.

Xiaomi YU7 New Vehicle Announcement Image

For family users, YU7 needs new surprises

As a pure electric SUV in the 200,000 - 300,000 yuan range, the sales champion Tesla Model Y is an unavoidable opponent for Xiaomi YU7.

Next year, Tesla Model Y will also undergo a facelift. Judging from the latest facelift of Model 3, the new Model Y will also be a minor facelift model rather than a major generation change model.

36Kr once reported that the new Tesla Model Y will be launched in the first quarter of 2025, and its cruising range will be about 10% higher than the current model.

Not only that, the appearance of the new Model Y will be changed, and the interior changes can refer to the refreshed Model 3; the chassis will be more comfortable, and the power consumption will be further reduced. Moreover, a six-seat version is planned based on the original model.

However, this not-so-frequent "squeezing toothpaste" style facelift does not have a great impact on new and old customers. What really causes the sales volume of Model Y to fluctuate is the price change.

Currently, both the rear-wheel drive version and the long-range version of Tesla Model Y enjoy a 10,000 yuan discount on the final payment, and the lowest landing price is 239,900 yuan. Under the five-year interest-free loan policy, the monthly car loan for consumers is only 2,667 yuan.

The brand power and product stability of Tesla, as well as the friendly price and loan policy, together build the sales volume moat of Model Y.

In the pure electric vehicle market with frequent updates and replacements, Model Y has become a vehicle that may not necessarily make a profit when bought, but there is a very high probability that it will not lose. Tesla's consumers have shifted from the avant-garde to the conservative.

If the low-price trend and the interest-free policy can be continued after the launch of the facelift model, Model Y will continue to be vibrant. These are advantages that Xiaomi and other brands are difficult to achieve in a short period of time. It is not easy to replace Model Y as the sales champion, but YU7 still has the potential to become a new phenomenon-level player.

Xiaomi YU7 New Vehicle Announcement Image

Compared to Tesla, users who buy Xiaomi vehicles become pioneers. After its launch in March, the orders of Xiaomi SU7 rose rapidly. After being on sale for 7 months, its weekly new orders still remain at a four-digit level. Xiaomi SU7 is also still attracting attention on the streets everywhere, and it is indeed a vehicle that attracts a lot of attention.

Many users say that the product score of Tesla may reach 85 points, but because they have trust in the Xiaomi brand, as long as the product score of Xiaomi vehicles reaches 60 points, they will not hesitate to choose Xiaomi.

The brand power established based on mobile phones and other smart devices has laid a broad trust value and awareness for Xiaomi vehicles. Compared with other independent brands, this is undoubtedly a unique advantage.

But can YU7 become Xiaomi's second hit model with this brand belief?

From the released product images, the improved wind resistance coefficient may bring a longer cruising range to YU7. Built on the same platform, the advantages of SU7 in styling, power, and chassis tuning will also be extended to YU7.

However, the main consumer group of SUVs, family users, have significantly different car purchase needs compared to sedan users: Family users have a strong demand for interior space. An interior space that is suitable for family members to ride, comfortable and spacious, and a trunk space that is large enough to hold the travel items of the whole family are the main considerations for family users when purchasing a vehicle.

Taking Xiaomi's first vehicle as an example, due to the slender front and the fastback shape occupying the interior space, the rear space of Xiaomi SU7 is slightly limited. As a medium and large-sized sedan, its headroom is only about one fist, and the standard legroom is 825mm. YU7, which is derived from the same source as SU7, will face the same space arrangement problem.

However, with the experience of building SU7 first, Xiaomi will have more initiative in YU7. But Xiaomi YU7's competitors are all making great efforts in the interior space, especially the second-row space.

In the historical facelifts of Tesla Model Y, the lengthening of the rear seats for family members was one of the highlights. The medium-sized SUV Ledao L60, which was launched this year, is one size smaller than Xiaomi YU7, but its second-row legroom reaches 860mm. And Ledao will also launch a medium and large-sized five-seat SUV with the same positioning next year.

In terms of space and comfort needs, Xiaomi's current advantages are not obvious. But family users often attach great importance to space. If there are only appearance and brand power, YU7 may overlap with the user group of SU7 and become a model that diverts SU7 customers.

Among Xiaomi's user group, it is not difficult for YU7 to receive a certain amount of orders. But to become a real hit, YU7 is facing a market that cannot ignore practicality.

To break the situation, YU7 needs to have improvements in space, price advantages, or hidden needs that the industry has not yet noticed, or the unique care under Xiaomi's proprietary ecosystem.

In conclusion, Xiaomi needs to come up with a stronger surprise for family users, and creating surprises seems to be Lei Jun's strength.