Better known for building smartphones, Chinese brand Xiaomi has done what Apple couldn’t. It has built its first electric car, and has apparently kept the price as low as £23,600 .OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:Sections of Roxas Boulevard to undergo repairs for ‘150 calendar days’The Xiaomi SU7 is a spacious all-electric sedan. Almost five metres long, it’s 1.96m wide and over 1.4m tall.
There are three different specs: the SU7, SU7 Pro and SU7 Max. The base model apparently manages 700 kilometers of range from a 73.6kWh battery. And we say 'base', but it still gets 268hp and 400Nm of torque. Not bad. The middle-child Pro offers almost 830 kilometers of range with a 94.3kWh battery and the same single motor powertrain.
The SU7 Max has a hefty 101kWh battery and an 800V system. It's capable of 810 kilometers on a single charge and uses twin motors for AWD and 664hp. There are various drive modes of course, including a drift mode which transfers power to the rear wheels and disengages the traction control. When not going sideways, it'll cover 0-100kph in a very swift and very precise 2.78 seconds.
Inside the SU7 is pretty posh, with bags of space in the front and back, amplified by a triple-glazed panoramic sunroof. The brand gets to show off its electronics credentials and software know-how in the cabin, too. There are built-in mobile phone docks , a plug-in for a GoPro, one for a dashcam, a couple of wireless charging points and optional Xiaomi tablets for the rear passengers.
All that said, Xiaomi has kept some actual switchgear, and if you want more there’s an optional magnetic bar with proper climate buttons that can be bought and retrofitted. Heck, there’s even a little device which docks up top to give the digital assistant, Showei, emotions. Other options? A 4.6-liter smart fridge and karaoke mics. Yeah, seriously.