Xiaomi launched the extremely anticipated YU7 SUV in China on Thursday, securing 240,000 lock-in (non-refundable) orders in 18 hours. Whereas the media give attention to the impression on Tesla’s Mannequin Y SUV, which is able to seemingly be affected by YU7 gross sales in China, the brand new Xiaomi SUV may also hit arduous Chinese language EV startups in addition to legacy automakers, together with BYD.
And people in Shenzhen have an enormous cause to be sad. Not solely will YU7 put strain on gross sales of their mid-to-large SUVs, such because the Sealion 8 and Track L, but additionally due to how nicely Xiaomi executed the market entry for YU7 and the way they utilised sturdy branding and their hardcore fan buyer base.
In April, the Shenzhen-based automaker launched its flagship SUV, referred to as BYD Tang L. With out tens of 1000’s of preorders, with out tens of 1000’s of gross sales within the coming months, and with out consideration from most mainstream media. The one cause you in all probability turned conscious of this automobile (in case you are not a CarNewsChina reader, by which case you’re nicely conscious) was the help of BYD’s ultra-fast charging and the truth that it might cost a 370 km vary in simply 5 minutes.
Let’s take a better have a look at this forgotten YU7 rival.
BYD Tang L begins at 239,800 yuan (33,400 USD), undercutting YU7 by 13,700 yuan (1,900 USD). It’s RWD with a single 500 kW motor, which spins at 30,511 RPM (rotations per minute). The highest velocity is 240 km/h. It options an elective roof-mounted drone docking station, occupying roughly 0.29 m², which opens with a button click on and releases the drone.
The entry-level YU7, which prices 253,500 yuan, can be RWD with a single motor offering a most output of 235 kW and spinning as much as 22,000 RPM. The highest velocity is identical, 240 km/h.
The Tang L RWD encompasses a 100.5 kWh LFP blade battery, which is able to offering a 670 km CLTC vary. It options BYD’s 1000V charging platform, and the battery has a charging multiplier of 8.4C.
The BYD Tang L additionally helps twin gun charging, permitting you to plug in two charging cables concurrently (which is nothing new within the BYD lineup), offering a most charging fee of 1000 kW. The SUV can cost from 10% to 70% in 6 minutes and from 0 – 100% in 29.7 minutes. It might probably additionally get a 370 km CLTC vary in 5 minutes.
The Xiaomi YU7 encompasses a 96.3 kWh LFP battery from CATL, providing an 835 km CLTC vary. It options 800V charging, and the battery has a 5.2C charging multiplier. It might probably cost from 10% to 80% in 21 minutes and add 465 km of vary in quarter-hour.
When it comes to assisted driving, the BYD Tang L options the ADAS system DiPilot 300 (God’s Eye B) powered by Nvidia Drive Orin X, which provides 254 TOPS (trillion operations per second).
The Xiaomi YU7 options Xiaomi Assisted Driving Professional ADAS, which is powered by Nvidia Drive AGX Thor with 700 TOPs. On paper, Xiaomi is a winner right here. Nevertheless, many reviewers have been very diplomatic when speaking about Xiaomi ADAS, saying there’s nonetheless area for enchancment and that it’s fairly “conservative”. My favorite take is from automobile reviewer Sean from Telescope, who examined it on SU7 Extremely, and described it as “The very last thing you need when driving a 1500 hp automobile is to be beeped at for slowing down the site visitors. And in the present day, I bought beeped.”
The BYD Tang L is 41 mm longer than the YU7 and is considerably heavier. The precise dimensions are as follows (size/width/top):
- BYD Tang L: 5040/1996/1760 mm, with wheelbase 2,950 mm
- Xiaomi YU7: 4999/1996/1608 mm with wheelbase 3,000 mm
Tang L’s curb weight is 2,675 kg, whereas YU7’s curb weight is 2,315 kg.
On account of its extra highly effective motor, bigger weight, and enhanced optimisation, the YU7 outperforms the Tang L when it comes to power consumption, with a determine of 13.3 kWh/100 km in comparison with 17.4 kWh/100 km. That’s not shocking, as power consumption will not be the place BYD typically excels.
The BYD Tang L outperforms the YU7 in lots of areas, notably with its e-platform, charging capabilities, and motor energy. YU7 excels in power consumption, connectivity, and quite a few small particulars that Xiaomi followers will admire.
Which automobile is healthier? That’s past the scope of this text and would all the time be subjective. What I need to show is the huge model energy of Xiaomi and its charismatic CEO, Lei Jun, in China. Regardless of being cheaper and a good sufficient competitor to YU7, the Tang L could have solely a fraction of its gross sales. The Xiaomi fan base is one thing even giants like BYD and different Chinese language EV makers can solely dream of. And the Beijing-based automaker will not be afraid to utilise it to realize its aim of promoting 10 million EVs yearly.
