Xiaomi CEO Drove an SU7 from Beijing to Shanghai

A few days ahead of the March 28 debut of the Xiaomi SU7, Lei Jun, the company’s chairman and CEO, revealed on his Weibo personal account that Xiaomi had sent out a fleet of 576 prototype cars for on-road testing, totaling more than 5.4 million kilometers driven in regular conditions across the country.

In addition to Lei Jun himself contributing over 3,000 kilometers to the testing, other Xiaomi executives also took part in these on-road tests. Lei took a test drive from Beijing to Shanghai lasting 15 hours. Lei Jun shared his experience of driving the SU7 on Weibo:

“Xiaomi executives have fully participated in the on-road testing of Xiaomi SU7, accumulating over 100,000 kilometers of testing. I participated in more than 3,000 kilometers of road tests. The longest test was on January 5th, driving from Beijing to Shanghai. That trip was 1,276 kilometers, with me being the only driver. The SU7 used full-speed NOA mode throughout the 15-hour journey, which included charging and rest breaks. This road trip was a test of endurance for the four-wheel-drive car. Under winter conditions at an average speed of 100 km/h, the SU7 was recharged twice. Overall the trip was a very good experience.”

The CEO went on to reveal that Xiaomi deployed 576 SU7 prototype vehicles for large-scale testing across 300 cities nationwide. The road tests included temperatures from -40°C in Heihe to 60°C in Turpan. The testing scale was extensive as they were even performed at a high altitude of 4,768m in the Kunlun Mountains. The Xiaomi SU7 is now ready for launch, scheduled for next Thursday, Lei said, adding that the cost of each test vehicle is over 2 million yuan each ($276,600).

The first batch of SU7 will be available in delivery centers for 29 selected cities nationwide. These delivery centers are set to begin operations by the end of March. Another 10 cities will be added very soon. The SU7 has been showcased at international motoring exhibitions and is expected to be introduced in key global markets after it goes on sale in China.