The 1527bhp Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Is Going For Nürburgring EV Glory

There’s nothing new about companies that started out making something else branching out into cars. Peugeot got its start producing tools and kitchen equipment, Mazda making corks, and Lamborghini building tractors. Even then, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra is quite the statement from a company that primarily made smartphones a year ago.

The Ultra is a high-performance version of the Chinese company’s first car, the SU7, which was launched earlier this year to a hugely positive reception. A rival to the likes of the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S, the company clearly now wants to go after the upper echelons of those cars’ ranges – the Taycan Turbo GT and Model S Plaid.

To that end, it’s fitted the SU7 out with a trio of electric motors. At the back are a pair of the company’s ‘V8s’ units, each producing 570bhp, while on the front axle sits a single ‘V6s’ motor. Total output is said to be 1527bhp, which Xiaomi says will propel the car to 62mph in two seconds flat, 124mph in six seconds, and 186mph in 15 seconds. Top speed, meanwhile, is said to be upwards of 217mph.

A full carbon fibre body brings weight down to 1900kg – not exactly featherweight, but around 500kg lighter than the standard SU7. The swollen, bewinged bodywork, meanwhile, contributes to a peak downforce figure of 2145kg. AP Racing brakes and Pirelli P Zero tyres help keep all this under control.

All this has been done with one place in mind. Yep, it’s that German race track again. Xiaomi will be heading to the Nürburgring in October with a prototype SU7 Ultra to see what it’s capable of around the almost 13-mile-long Norschleife, with a view to it becoming the fastest four-door electric car around the track.

That honour currently belongs to the 1019bhp Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, which managed a 7min 7.55sec lap earlier this year. It could well be in with a shot, although unlike the Taycan, there’s no word on whether Xiaomi plans to put the Ultra into production. A European launch is on the cards for the standard SU7, though – although it’s not clear if this encompasses the UK or not.