EVwire brief: Xiaomi has started delivering a cheaper YU7 Standard Edition in China, priced at 233,500 yuan ($34,410), 30,000 yuan ($4,415) less than the base Tesla Model Y, which starts at 263,500 yuan ($38,830).
The new YU7 Standard Edition trim packs a 73-kWh LFP battery, 643 km of CLTC range, and standard LiDAR and Nvidia Thor chip. For comparison, the base Model Y features a 62.5-kWh battery pack and a CLTC range of 593 kilometers.
CEO Lei Jun said the move was designed to "once again challenge the Model Y on sales," and admitted at the May 21 launch that killing this variant before the original YU7 rollout was a mistake. It was planned three years ago, but it was scrapped before the vehicle was launched.
Xiaomi has started delivering the YU7 Standard Edition to customers
Details:
Price: 233,500 yuan ($34,410)
Battery: 73-kWh CATL LFP
Range: 643 km CLTC
Motor: Xiaomi V6s Plus, single rear-motor, 235 kW (315 hp)
Performance: 5.9 seconds 0-100 km/h; 220 km/h top speed
Charging: 10–80% in 20 minutes
Hardware: LiDAR, 4D mmWave radar, Nvidia Thor (700 TOPS) as standard
The YU7 Standard Edition is Xiaomi’s second chance at challenging the Tesla Model Y
Context:
The value proposition is hard to ignore. The old YU7 base variant was only 10,000 yuan cheaper than the base Model Y, which was not enough of a gap to pull buyers away. This new YU7 Standard Edition widens that to 30,000 yuan while also beating the Model Y on range by 50 km, and throwing in LiDAR and premium compute as standard.
Customers who place orders for the Xiaomi YU7 Standard Edition before June 30 get five-year low-interest financing + free lifetime Hyper Autonomous Driving (HAD) access.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun admitted that killing off the YU7 Standard Edition last year was a mistake
The launch also comes amid a bumpy Q1 for Xiaomi's EV and AI division, which posted a combined operating loss of 3.1 billion yuan ($460 million). The drag came from the Spring Festival slowdown and the new-generation SU7 sedan’s launch.
Monthly YU7 deliveries slid from 37,869 in January to 9,876 in April. Total brand volume rebounded sharply though, jumping 71% month-over-month in April to 36,702 vehicles. Cumulative YU7 deliveries have now crossed 232,000 units in just 10 months.
Source: Car News China, CNEV Post
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