Xiaomi has introduced a new standard version of its Xiaomi YU7 sport utility vehicle in China as the company intensifies competition with Tesla in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
The new YU7 variant was unveiled at a launch event on Thursday with a starting price of 233,500 yuan ($34,320), about 20,000 yuan lower than the previous standard version.
Xiaomi has renamed the earlier standard YU7 model as the YU7 Long Range edition.
Lei Jun, founder, chairman and chief executive of Xiaomi, said the latest version was intended to further compete with Tesla’s Tesla Model Y in China.
Tesla currently offers four versions of the Model Y in China, with starting prices ranging from 263,500 yuan to 339,000 yuan.
The new YU7 retains the same dimensions as earlier versions, measuring 4,999 millimeters in length, 1,996 millimeters in width and 1,608 millimeters in height, with a wheelbase of 3,000 millimeters.
The vehicle is equipped with a 73.0-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery pack and offers a CLTC driving range of up to 643 kilometers.
Xiaomi compared the model directly with Tesla’s entry-level rear-wheel-drive Model Y, which uses a 62.5-kWh battery and has a CLTC range of 593 kilometers.
The previous standard YU7 version featured a larger 96.3-kWh lithium iron phosphate battery and a range of up to 835 kilometers under CLTC testing conditions.
According to Xiaomi, the new model can charge from 10% to 80% in around 20 minutes, while a 15-minute charging session can add approximately 405 kilometers of driving range.
The vehicle uses a rear-mounted single-motor setup producing peak power of 235 kilowatts and can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 5.9 seconds.
Xiaomi said the new variant weighs 115 kilograms less than the previous standard model, contributing to improved energy efficiency and handling performance.
The company also introduced three additional exterior colors for the YU7 lineup — purple, gray and red — as well as two new 20-inch wheel designs.
The YU7 was first launched in June last year with Standard, Pro and Max variants priced from 253,500 yuan, 279,900 yuan and 329,900 yuan, respectively.
