The flagship YU7 GT will have two electric motors, providing blistering performance.
New spy shots show that Xiaomi has upgraded parts of the electric SUV’s exterior.
With camouflage stripped away from this prototype, a reveal may be coming soon.
Not satisfied with only building an all-electric sedan with the performance to match multi-million-dollar hypercars, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi is finalizing development of a high-performance, GT-branded version of the YU7 SUV. It has the potential to lay the smackdown on Porsche.
We’ve seen Xiaomi testing the YU7 GT in the past, but this is our first time seeing it without any camouflage. These photos were snapped as Xiaomi conducted an official photoshoot for the SUV near the Nurburgring. It looks just as extreme as the SU7 Ultra and appears ready to conquer race tracks and drag strips around the world.
A host of design changes have been made to the SUV, ensuring it stands out from the regular model. The alterations start at the front-end, where Xiaomi has redesigned the lower front grille of the SUV and added a new splitter to it.
Beefed Up And Aggressive
Baldauf
We can also see the company’s designers have crafted dramatic flared fenders for the YU7 GT, allowing for the fitment of wider wheels and tires. Hiding behind these new wheels are enlarged brakes, including absolutely gargantuan red calipers. Plenty of changes have also been made to the rear, including a more aggressive diffuser and a different bumper.
This particular prototype also features a silver, motorsport-style livery, complete with racing stripes that run the length of the body, adding to the track-ready impression.
Recent Chinese filings have revealed how much performance the new EV will pack. Whereas the SU7 Ultra uses three high-powered electric motors to deliver 1,548 hp and 1,305 lb-ft (1,770 Nm) of torque, this model doesn’t use Ultra branding and isn’t quite as extreme. With that being said, it will still deliver around 1,000 hp from its twin-motor setup, enough to reach an 186 mph (300 km/h) top speed.
Testing at the Nürburgring suggests Xiaomi isn’t just chasing headlines, it’s putting real effort into serious on-track performance. Whether that translates into genuine driving excitement, though, is still an open question.
Prices have yet to be announced, but rumors point towards it costing between 450,000 yuan and 500,000 yuan, or between $65,000 and $73,000.
The updated SU7 looks the same, but changes have been made under the skin.
Xiaomi is selling the electric sedan with 73 kWh and 96.3 kWh battery packs.
Prices start at 219,900 yuan ($31,900) and top out at 303,900 yuan ($44,000).
It’s been only two years since the Xiaomi SU7 hit the market, and it has quickly become one of the most popular electric sedans in China. An updated version has just been launched, and it promises to be even better while still remaining an absolute bargain.
Ordinarily, it takes car manufacturers four or five years to update a model, but Xiaomi is more like Apple than a traditional car brand, and it’s used to updating its products on a yearly basis, so it’s perhaps no surprise the SU7 has already been refreshed. Like before, it’ll continue to be sold in Standard, Pro, and Max configurations, and it took just 8 hours for local enthusiasts to place 15,000 orders.
The base SU7 Standard is equipped with a 73 kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery and a rear-mounted motor with 315 hp (235 kW). It has a claimed CLTC range of 447 miles (720 km), and starts at just 219,900 yuan or around $31,900. Sitting above it is the SU7 Pro, fitted with a larger 96.3 kWh LFP battery and the same 315 hp (235 kW) motor, boosting its range to 560 miles (902 km) and bumping up the price to 249,900 yuan, roughly $36,200.
The SU7 Max comes equipped with a 101.7 kWh ternary lithium battery, dual motors delivering 681 hp (508 kW), and a 519-mile (835 km) range. It starts at 303,900 yuan or $44,000. There’s no word on whether an update is also being readied for the hypercar-rivaling SU7 Ultra, but changes are likely in the works.
Visually, the new model looks largely the same as the outgoing SU7, though all versions now come with a roof-mounted LiDAR, a 4D millimeter-wave radar, and the Nvidia Thor-U computing system. A new radar has also been added up front, and the rear tires are slightly wider, perhaps to improve grip and reduce the risk of crashes like this.
An Important Door Solution
Xiaomi has also added a new door unlocking mechanism with a triple-redundancy system, no doubt to ensure drivers don’t get stuck inside should they be involved in a serious accident. The mechanical release on the front passenger doors is also now finished in bright red, making it easier to spot in an emergency.
The rest of the interior is familiar, although the infotainment screen is slightly bigger at 16.1 inches. The dual wireless phone chargers have been retained, but Xiaomi has repositioned the cupholders from a vertical configuration to a horizontal one. It’s also removed the vertical row of buttons that had been fitted to the console, instead shifting them between the charging pads and the cupholders.
Sales of the Maextro S800 now exceed key German luxury rivals.
Domestic EV brands are winning buyers once loyal to foreign cars.
Porsche deliveries in China dropped 26 percent last year.
Most people outside China have probably never heard of the Maextro S800. Yet this large Chinese luxobarge has quietly begun outselling some very familiar names. In recent months, it has moved more units than the Porsche Panamera, BMW 7-Series, and Mercedes-Maybach S-Class combined in China.
Foreign automakers are all struggling to compete with homegrown competition in the Chinese market, not least of all, Porsche. The German sports car brand is at a problematic stage, experiencing one of the biggest drops in sales, both in China, and globally.
The number of deliveries in China fell by approximately 26 percent last year, Bloomberg reports. And, for all its territories in 2025, Porsche had supplied approximately 279,449 cars to customers all around the world. That’s 10 percent below the year prior.
Chinese Demand Wanes
Maextro S800
For years, China had been Porsche’s single most important growth engine. Wealthy buyers were drawn in by the brand’s reputation for performance and status. That dynamic has shifted with the emergence of a new generation of consumers, who are more aware of the advantages of electric vehicles and the idea of electric propulsion.
Combine that with Chinese automaker’s unique grasp of how to cater to the wants and needs of the home market consumer, as well as the ability to consistently beat Western offerings on price and performance, and it’s little wonder why cars like the S800 are doing so well in a segment that was once rich with Germany’s finest.
Still, the rate at which Chinese automakers have been able to capitalize within the luxury automobile market is nothing short of alarming. Their model lines are competing head-on with long-established luxury brands throughout Europe and, in most instances, provide highly advanced digital and battery technology that buyers are seeking.
However, for consumers, local EV makers are viewed as a representation of innovation, rather than being compromised, especially when it comes to younger buyers.
Strong Local Offerings
Maextro S800
Brands like Huawei’s Maextro, Xiaomi, and BYD have gained market share in the luxury EV range. The S800, for instance, starts at the equivalent price of $103,000, which is around 40 percent cheaper than the Panamera.
Xiaomi’s SU7 EV, meanwhile, is not only quicker than the all-electric Taycan to 100 km/h (2.1 seconds vs 2.7 seconds), it has a higher top speed (350 km/h vs 270 km/h) and offers nearly double the horsepower and torque (1,548 PS / 1,770 Nm vs 884 PS / 890 Nm). And it does all that, while costing a third of the price of the Porsche.
Having expansive product offerings and high levels of domestic loyalty, such firms have started attracting clients who, not too long ago, would have only considered a car with a foreign badge as worthy.
But, in the case of Porsche, this change is a challenging fact. Prestige alone is no longer sufficient to ensure success. So much so that Bloomberg reports that Porsche is not only downsizing its dealer structure, but is also in the process of winding down its EV charging network.
Righting The Ship
Under the leadership of its new CEO, Michael Leiters, Porsche has started to re-evaluate its strategy. The company is leaning on its traditional strengths, focusing on relatively high-margin sports cars and SUVs and pushing a bit heavier on the full complexity electrification. The idea is not to compete on price with the domestic manufacturers of EVs but to shore up what makes the brand unique.
Leiters has told investors the company is looking to see margins improve, though modestly this year. These difficult times have tightened Porsche’s operations’ profit margins, and the company hopes for better cost control and a well-defined product strategy to stabilize performance. The approach is cautious optimism as opposed to quick promises of a turnaround.
China Still Remains Part Of The Plan
Even though Porsche are scaling back their presence in China, they’re not ready to throw in the towel just yet. “The needs of Chinese customers have fundamentally changed,” Porsche China President Alexander Pollich said. “We are a niche brand, a small-scale manufacturer that can hardly change the economic environment, nor reverse the overall market trend. What we can do is to truly examine ourselves and strengthen the core capabilities.”
Porsche will be launching the all-electric Cayenne in the near future and will also introduce more gasoline-powered and plug-in hybrid SUVs, with China-only models high on the agenda. To support this effort, the company is establishing an all-new development hub in Shanghai that will operate independently from Germany.
First on the agenda is designing a new infotainment system that can better match the unique demands of Chinese buyers, likely with native integration for the local apps many owners use daily, rather than relying on the global software stack developed in Germany. In a market that is evolving as quickly as China’s, that kind of local focus may prove just as important as performance or prestige.
Xiaomi engineered working vanes to make its aero hood functional.
Last year, the company was sued over an aero hood that did nothing.
The upgrade installs at a dealer and takes about two to three hours.
Xiaomi looks ready to close the chapter on the ‘fake’ aerodynamic hood controversy that rattled the company last year. The Chinese carmaker has now turned its optional carbon fiber hood into a genuinely functional component, a response that many established carmakers might study with interest.
Back in early 2025, Xiaomi began offering a special carbon fiber hood for the SU7 Ultra. The design took inspiration from the record-setting SU7 Prototype and featured two prominent air ducts that were supposed to help cool the brakes and battery. On paper, it sounded convincing. In practice, it turned out to be something else.
Soon after customers started taking delivery of SU7s equipped with the 42,000 yuan ($6,100) hood, owners discovered the promised performance benefits simply were not there. The structure beneath the hood had not been changed at all, meaning the vents were purely decorative and did nothing for cooling or aerodynamics.
Unsurprisingly, the reaction was swift. Owners pushed back, some threatened to walk away from the brand, and the situation quickly spilled into the courts.
Making The Carbon Hood Functional
Fast forward 12 months, and Xiaomi has announced it will start making these hoods functional to owners, free of charge. The company says that engineers have modified the internal structure of the front air ducts so they can work with the active grille and increase downforce over the front axle.
According to CarNewsChina, fitting the upgrade takes between 2 and 3 hours and includes the fitment of adjustable plastic vanes beneath the carbon fiber hood. It’s a big win for owners, and Xiaomi will be hoping the move helps repair some of the trust lost during the controversy.
The controversy had already reached the courts before this fix arrived. In October last year, a Chinese court sided with an SU7 Ultra owner who sued Xiaomi over the hood. The ruling required the company to refund the owner’s hood deposit, pay 126,000 yuan ($18,300) in compensation, and cover 10,000 yuan ($1,400) in legal fees. Xiaomi also promised 20,000 reward points to each customer who bought the hood, worth roughly 2,000 yuan ($290)
Toyota adopts Huawei HarmonyOS Cockpit for connectivity.
The bZ7 also syncs with Xiaomi smart home devices easily.
Starting from $26,000, it’s about the same size as a Model S.
Toyota has officially opened pre-sales of its new all-electric bZ7 in China, priced between 179,800 and 239,800 yuan for the 600 Pro and 710 Ultra LiDAR trims respectively, or roughly $26,000 to nearly $34,800 depending on the version. That aggressive entry point immediately puts it in the thick of China’s hotly competitive EV market.
But this launch is not only about affordability. It represents a clear change in the way that Toyota is approaching electric vehicles in the region.
The bZ7 has a sleek fastback design, modern without being too dramatic. At just over 5.1 meters (200.8 inches) long, 1,965 mm (77.3 inches) wide, and 1,506 mm (59.2 inches) tall, with a 3,020 mm (118.9 inches) wheelbase, it carries the proportions of a proper executive sedan. Those dimensions place it squarely alongside rivals such as the Tesla Model S, BYD Han L, and BMW i5.
Inside, the layout is clean and technology-focused. A huge 15.6-inch central display is located at the center of the dashboard, backed by the compact driver screen and head-up display. The system runs off Huawei’s HarmonyOS Cockpit 5.0, something that is important for Toyota.
Legacy automakers have long struggled to get on top of Chinese-centric ecosystems which buyers love. The adoption of HarmonyOS Cockpit not only offers sharp graphics, quick response times, and voice control features, but it will also be able to natively integrate with China’s own ecosystem of connected apps and services.
A Serious Push Into China’s Connected Car era
Toyota’s integration with Xiaomi’s smart ecosystem means that the car itself is intended to integrate with compatible Xiaomi home devices. Drivers can control select functions of a smart home directly from the interface in the vehicle and also sync personal preferences across devices. It makes the car part of a wider digital lifestyle rather than being simply a transport tool.
Advanced driver assistance comes from Momenta’s R6 system, which uses a combination of sensors and roof-mounted lidar. Features include navigation-assisted driving support and automated parking features. Higher trims focus strongly on comfort too with zero gravity seats, massage and ventilation, a premium audio system, rear seat tray tables and even a built-in refrigerator focused on rear passengers.
Powering the bZ7 is Huawei’s DriveONE electric system in conjunction with lithium iron phosphate battery packs. Depending on the trim, Toyota is claiming a driving range of between about 600-710 km (373-441 miles) under CLTC standards (so take that with a grain of salt). Still, that puts it squarely in line with important domestic competitors. That’s paired with a 207 kW (277 hp) electric motor that provides motive power.
That headline range also nudges it into the territory of the dual-motor Model S AWD, at least on paper. The Tesla, of course, operates in a very different league when it comes to outright performance, with roughly 670 hp on tap. It also sits in a completely different price bracket, starting at 842,900 yuan, or around $122,000. That works out to roughly 4.6 times the base bZ7 and about 3.5 times the price of the top-spec version.
BYD’s China sales have tumbled 36 percent in 2026.
About half of BYD vehicles this year were exported.
Geely sold 76,000 more vehicles than BYD in China.
For much of the past three years, it has often seemed as though BYD could do no wrong. The company steadily launched new models, expanded its lineup, and watched its sales climb at an impressive pace. However, the start of 2026 has been alarmingly slower, allowing fellow Chinese automaker Geely to pull ahead.
Through the first two months of this year, BYD has sold 400,241 vehicles, down 36 percent from the year prior. Of these, 190,190 vehicles were sold in February, a drop of 9.5 percent from the past month, due in large part to the Lunar New Year holiday, but it was also a 41 percent drop compared to the same month last year.
Apparently, shrinking tax breaks and a dip in buyer confidence are starting to cool the market. Plenty of shoppers are opting to wait it out, holding off to see what new models land and whether government trade in schemes become clearer before committing their cash.
While BYD is facing some struggles at home, it continues to gain popularity in foreign markets. In February alone, it exported 100,600 of its new energy vehicles, consisting of EVs and plug-in hybrids. Include January in those figures, and BYD has exported 201,082 vehicles.
Competitors Step Up
While BYD is facing growing pains, several other Chinese automakers are enjoying the opposite problem. Through the first two months of 2026, Stellantis partner Leapmotor’s sales have climbed 19 percent to 60,126 units. Xiaomi’s EV division is up 48 percent year over year to more than 59,000 units. Zeekr has posted an 84 percent surge across January and February, while Nio deliveries have jumped 77 percent, according to CNBC.
Geely is also having a particularly strong run. So far this year, it has delivered roughly 76,000 more vehicles than BYD. That is notable because it marks the first time Geely has outsold BYD for at least two consecutive months since 2022. While Geely currently leads within China, it trails slightly in overseas markets, exporting 181,891 vehicles so far this year.
According to Bloomberg, BYD chief executive Wang Chuanfu acknowledged the growing pressure back in December. He said rival automakers had begun closing the technological gap that once gave BYD a clear edge, something that now appears to be showing up in the sales figures.
Xiaomi unveiled its Vision Gran Turismo concept at MWC 2026.
Like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, it uses huge venturi tunnels.
The cocoon-like cockpit makes just enough space for two.
Chinese smartphone and consumer electronics giant Xiaomi, now very much a car manufacturer too, has become the first Chinese brand to unveil its own Vision Gran Turismo concept. Presented at the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain, the car is bold and offers a glimpse of what a legitimate hypercar from the tech juggernaut might look like if it ever reached production.
Underpinning the Vision GT is the company’s 900-volt Silicon Carbide platform. While no performance specifications have been released, it could deliver upwards of 1,900 hp from its electric powertrain. Most of the details shared by Xiaomi focus on the car’s design and aerodynamic intent.
According to Xiaomi’s head of automotive design, Li Tianyuan, the Vision GT concept posts a drag coefficient of 0.29 and has effectively been sculpted by the wind.
Like track-obsessed machines such as the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Red Bull RB17, the Vision GT runs vast venturi tunnels beneath its bodywork. They channel air through the underfloor and eject it at the rear, creating a dramatic tail section that works to pin the car to the tarmac at speed.
There’s no word on how much downforce it could have, but it’d inevitably be enough to warp your face while going around corners. The front-end includes a motorsport-inspired carbon fiber splitter and unobtrusive LED headlights. As mentioned, the rear is dominated by the huge venturi tunnels, but the LED taillight wrapping around the entire back of the car is also very striking.
Xiaomi has also imagined the Vision GT with a set of very intriguing wheels. Sitting over a set of carbon-ceramic brakes, the concept has a set of turbine fan rims with a floating cover over them, making it appear as though the wheels aren’t moving when the car is driving.
A Cabin From Another World
The cabin looks tight, but futuristic. Occupants sit in a pair of seats stuffed into the carbon fiber monocoque. There’s a panoramic head-up display similar to the new BMW iX3, as well as a steering wheel straight out of racing with five large circular screens, including a toggle for a drift mode.
There’s no word on when the car will be added to Gran Turismo, but it should be made available in the coming weeks. Will it influence a future road-going supercar from Xiaomi? Not likely, at least in that extreme form, but only time will tell.
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