Xiaomi YU7: Dispelling the Clouds of Public Opinion with Technology | Focus Analysis

After the storm of the traffic accident, Xiaomi has finally returned to the public eye.

On May 22nd, at the 15th - anniversary strategic press conference, Xiaomi first launched the Xuanjie O1, a 3nm mobile phone chip with leading manufacturing processes, and finally introduced the second product of Xiaomi Automobile, the YU7.

There seems to have been a similar rhythm in the industry. In 2023, the AITO M7 jointly launched by Huawei and Seres had been in a sales slump with no sign of improvement. In September, Huawei unveiled the self - developed Kirin chip and the redesigned AITO M7.

The key technological breakthrough in the chip field shattered the sluggish sales situation of AITO. After the redesigned AITO M7 was launched, the number of large orders in the same month exceeded 30,000. As a result, AITO and even HarmonyOS Smart Mobility moved towards an upward trend.

Today, Xiaomi is almost replicating this path: leveraging the significant momentum brought by core technological breakthroughs to help new products quickly establish market influence and revitalize the sluggish mood of its automobile business.

Xiaomi YU7: Design, Range, and Safety are the Key Points

Design has always been an important anchor point for Xiaomi Automobile, and the product introduction of the Xiaomi YU7 also starts with design.

The body proportion, color, and detailed design of the YU7 are consistent with those of the SU7. The only major difference is that the YU7 has a large number of aerodynamic designs. There are a total of 40 wind - resistance optimization designs on the whole vehicle, as well as 10 sets of through - type air ducts and 19 air inlets to regulate the airflow of the whole vehicle.

Finally, the wind - resistance coefficient of the Xiaomi YU7 reaches 0.245Cd, and the most direct manifestation of the aerodynamic optimization is the improvement of the driving range.

Xiaomi's 15th - anniversary Strategic Press Conference

The Xiaomi YU7 is available in three versions. Both the standard version and the Pro version are equipped with a 96.3kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. The standard version has a driving range of 835km, while the Pro version, with its four - wheel - drive configuration, only has a range of 770km. The Max version is equipped with a 101.7kWh ternary lithium battery, with a comprehensive driving range of 760km.

Whether it is the rear - wheel - drive or four - wheel - drive version, the driving range of the Xiaomi YU7 ranks among the top in the industry. Moreover, with the support of the 800V high - voltage platform, the Xiaomi YU7 Max version can achieve a super - charging rate of 5.2C, with a charging performance of replenishing 620km of range in 15 minutes, which will be one of the strong consumer attractions of the Xiaomi YU7.

Passive safety also became a highlight of the YU7 at the press conference.

One of the highlights is the further upgrade of the body structure. In addition to the reinforcement of the front and rear of the vehicle, the YU7 has added a 1500MPa anti - scraping bottom beam at the bottom, which can effectively reduce the probability of the battery pack being damaged by stones. In terms of the battery coating, the YU7 uses the same bulletproof coating as the 529,900 - yuan SU7 Ultra.

Xiaomi's 15th - anniversary Strategic Press Conference

The second highlight is the application of new materials and new structures. Xiaomi and its partners have jointly developed hot - formed steel with a strength of 2200MP. This type of steel is first applied to the horizontal anti - collision beams of the four doors, and second, inspired by the design concept of the roll cage, it is embedded in the A - pillar and B - pillar through the hot gas expansion tube technology. The main purpose is to ensure the safety of the passenger compartment in the event of a collision.

This reinforcement of passive safety enables the Xiaomi YU7 to pass more than 50 collision tests, covering all the collision standards stipulated by C - NCAP and C - IASI, which can effectively enhance consumers' confidence in the safety of Xiaomi Automobile.

Xiaomi's 15th - anniversary Strategic Press Conference

In addition, Xiaomi is also working hard to improve the safety level of assisted driving. In terms of the hardware configuration for assisted driving, the YU7 is equipped with the same standard across all versions. This includes the NVIDIA Thor in - vehicle computing platform with a 4nm process and a computing power of 700TOPS, as well as a sensor structure consisting of 1 lidar with a point - cloud distance of 200 meters, 1 4D millimeter - wave radar, 11 high - definition cameras, and 12 ultrasonic radars.

In terms of in - vehicle cameras, Xiaomi has added ALD coating to 7 cameras on the whole vehicle, suppressing the visual interference caused by backlighting and glare, making the information output of the cameras more stable, and thus improving the safety of assisted driving.

Xiaomi's 15th - anniversary Strategic Press Conference

The launch and delivery time of the Xiaomi YU7 is currently set for July, three months after the accident. The first impression of consumers is: After the accident, is Xiaomi rushing to increase the safety features of the YU7?

Industry insiders told 36Kr that the R & D of hot - formed steel and anti - collision beams takes at least one year. "It's definitely not a last - minute effort by Xiaomi after the accident in late March." Different from the assisted - driving solution of the SU7, which differentiates based on configuration, equipping all three versions of the YU7 with the same assisted - driving hardware may be one of the reasons why the YU7 couldn't be launched earlier.

The Upgrading Path of Xiaomi Automobile

The traffic accident in late March plunged Xiaomi Automobile into a safety storm, and consumers began to have doubts. Can a company with only three years of car - manufacturing history really do a good job in car safety? Xiaomi Automobile basically has only one choice: quickly make up for the safety aspects and make car safety the core of Xiaomi's future car - manufacturing.

At the beginning of May, Xiaomi Automobile updated the naming of the intelligent driving system of the SU7 model on its official website. The original term "intelligent driving" was gradually replaced by the more rigorous "assisted driving".

At today's press conference, Xiaomi emphasized a series of safety - related issues, from body materials and structures, to assisted - driving hardware configurations, and then to the Xiaomi Driving Academy.

With a series of safety measures, consumers' confidence in the safety of Xiaomi Automobile will be improved to a certain extent, which paves the way for the hot sales of the YU7.

At the press conference, Lei Jun made a detailed comparison between the three versions of the Xiaomi YU7 and the three versions of the Tesla Model Y. The YU7 has obvious advantages. In the standard version, the comprehensive driving range of the YU7 is several hundred kilometers longer than that of the standard version of the Model Y. The Pro and Max versions even have an air suspension configuration that the Model Y does not have.

Xiaomi's goal is very clear: to challenge the world's most popular pure - electric SUV, the Model Y. From the pricing strategy of the SU7, we can infer that the YU7 will also compete with Tesla in terms of pricing.

Now, the Chinese automobile consumer market is returning to rationality. Safety, especially the safety of intelligent technologies, has become the focus of users. The Xiaomi YU7, which has made key changes in passive safety and assisted driving and is competitive in terms of configuration, has the potential to continue Xiaomi Automobile's history of creating best - selling models.