Xiaomi has begun delivering its first electric SUV, the YU7, but soaring demand and limited production capacity have pushed estimated wait times for new orders to as long as 14 months.
Xiaomi EV, the electric vehicle unit of the Chinese smartphone maker, confirmed on social media platform Weibo that deliveries of the YU7 commenced Saturday across 58 cities in China. Founder and CEO Lei Jun personally delivered some of the vehicles to early customers. The company did not specify the total number of units delivered in this first batch.
As deliveries roll out, customer wait times continue to grow. New buyers of the standard YU7 face a delivery window of 59–62 weeks, up from 58–61 weeks recorded the day before, according to data monitored by CnEVPost. The Pro and Max variants now have wait times of 53–56 weeks and 45–48 weeks, respectively—up from 51–54 weeks and 39–42 weeks.
Xiaomi’s first EV model, the SU7 sedan, has also seen shifting delivery timelines. While the standard version’s wait time rose to 38–41 weeks, the SU7 Pro and SU7 Max saw shorter windows of 35–38 and 33–36 weeks, respectively. The top-tier SU7 Ultra now has a delivery time of 15–18 weeks, down from 18–21 weeks.
During a livestreamed event on July 2, Lei Jun addressed speculation that the new SUV could cannibalize sales of the SU7 sedan. “Less than 15 percent of total YU7 orders were transferred from the SU7 and SU7 Ultra,” he said, downplaying concerns over internal competition.
Launched on June 26, the YU7 is positioned as a direct competitor to Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model Y. The SUV starts at RMB 253,500 ($35,380), with Pro and Max trims priced at RMB 279,900 and RMB 329,900, respectively. Xiaomi reported receiving 200,000 firm orders within three minutes of the sales launch and more than 240,000 locked-in orders within 18 hours.
Despite strong demand, Xiaomi’s EV production remains constrained. The YU7 and SU7 are currently built at the company’s phase 1 EV facility in Beijing, which has an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles. In response to high demand, Xiaomi began implementing two-shift production schedules in June. Local media have reported that the company’s second-phase factory is nearing readiness and could begin production as early as July or August, with large-scale hiring already underway.