Xiaomi breaks the Nürburgring lap record with a production SU7 Ultra

Xiaomi is once again grabbing headlines in the automotive press after achieving a historic milestone. The Chinese manufacturer, until just over a year ago known only for its smartphones and some other consumer electronics devices, has now managed to beat Porsche and set the fastest lap time for a production electric vehicle at the Nürburgring circuit.

Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra completed a lap in 7:04.957, almost three seconds faster than the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT equipped with the Weissach package, which removes the rear seats to save weight. This achievement is not only a feat for Xiaomi, but also for the Chinese automotive industry, which has once again demonstrated that it can rival legendary Western brands.

The Nürburgring Nordschleife, a 20.8-kilometre public road circuit with no speed limit in Germany, is the stage where manufacturers test their vehicles’ handling at the limit and seek to set records. Although Xiaomi had already taken a modified version of the SU7 Ultra to the circuit, recording an impressive time of 6:46.874 with a lightened interior and competition tyres, this time the record was set with a series-production model like the one any customer can buy in China, as it is currently only sold in that market.

It has no rival

But the SU7 Ultra not only beat the Taycan Turbo GT, it also left the Rimac Nevera behind, which set a time of 7:05.298, and the Tesla Model S Plaid, which finished some 20 seconds back. This achievement once again reflects China’s consolidation as the global epicentre of innovation in the automotive sector, especially in vehicles powered by fully electric propulsion systems.

The production version of the SU7 Ultra is capable of delivering 1,138 kW of power, an absolute madness. But the best part is that its price at the current exchange rate is below 65,000 euros. Nobody offers performance of this level at such a low price, proportionally speaking.

In any case, what stands out most is that a vehicle like the SU7 Ultra is being sold by a brand like Xiaomi, which just over a year ago was dedicated exclusively to selling consumer electronics devices, especially smartphones.