Chinese smartphone manufacturer crushes Porsche and takes Ring record

Ring record Xiaomi

The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Prototype holds the title of fastest electric sedan at the Nürburgring. 6:46.874 minutes – that’s the time it took the fast Xiaomi to conquer the Nürburgring. Fast? You could say so! The previous title holder, the Porsche Taycan, took 7:07.55 minutes. So the Chinese EV dives more than 20 seconds below that. The Tesla Model S Plaid also lags far behind with a time of 7:25.231. Not bad for Xiaomi’s very first attempt in the automotive world. But there is a catch….

Prototype

The name gives it away: Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Prototype. In other words, this is a prototype. Thanks to a hefty dose of carbon fiber, Xiaomi manages to keep the weight at “only” 1,900 kilograms. Thanks to a bunch of extra spoilers and wings, the car also generates 2,145 kilograms of downforce. We’re guessing the SU7 Ultra Prototype is also on slicks instead of regular street tires. The final production version will undoubtedly be considerably slower. Tesla and Porsche’s record attempts used production models that you and I can find in the showroom. So how official Xiaomi’s record is remains to be seen.

Specfications

No matter how you look at it, it is still an impressive achievement for a newcomer. The Chinese speed demon is equipped with three powerful electric motors: two in the rear that each deliver 425 kW (578 hp) and one in the front with 288 kW (392 hp). Together good for an insane power output of 1,137 kW (1,548 hp). With that, the SU7 Ultra shoots to 100 km/h in less than two seconds, and within six seconds it is already at 200 km/h. It ticks off 300 km/h in just 15 seconds and its top speed is well over 350 km/h.

Xiaomi SU7

The regular Xiaomi SU7, which is quite popular in China, is a tad less extreme. You can opt for a rear-wheel-drive version with a “modest” 220 kW (299 hp) or for the Max version, which delivers a hefty 495 kW (673 hp) thanks to two electric motors. There are no official plans for a European introduction yet, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it shows up here sooner or later.

Obstacles and perseverance

Behind the wheel during the record attempt was David Pittard, who earlier this year won the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Incidentally, the road to the lap record for electric sedans was anything but smooth. Xiaomi had scheduled test dates on several days in October, but heavy rainfall threw a spanner in the works several times. It wasn’t until Oct. 28 that the team received a final one-hour time slot. Inspection of the track began around 11 a.m. and soon after, tires were mounted and final adjustments were made. At 11:50 a.m. it was finally time and exactly six minutes later the coveted time was put on the clock. In the video below you can see how that went: