Xiaomi revamps its hot-selling EV in a major update and it still undercuts Tesla at $33,000

The SU7, Xiaomi’s first EV, took the Chinese market by storm last year. Xiaomi opened pre-orders for an upgraded, longer-range model on Wednesday, and it’s still cheaper than a Tesla Model 3, starting at 229,900 yuan ($33,000).

Xiaomi opens pre-orders for the updated SU7 EV

After launching the SU7 in March 2024, Xiaomi’s flagship electric sedan quickly became one of China’s most popular EVs.

In just nine months, the SU7 racked up nearly 250,000 pre-orders, and by the end of 2024, Xiaomi delivered more than 135,000 models.

Since it hit the market, Xiaomi has sold more than 360,000 SU7s in just 21 months, the company’s CEO, Lei Jun, said on Weibo. That’s over 17,000 a month on average. Despite a strong first half of 2025, sales have slowed since August, with the Tesla Model 3 outselling it in China in September and November.

A big part of the slowdown came after Xiaomi launched the YU7 (which we got to test drive), its first electric SUV, last June. The company shifted production capacity to ramp up YU7 output.

However, Xiaomi has also been facing backlash after a series of incidents last year prompted widespread criticism of the electric sedan’s safety.

For that reason, Xiaomi made it a priority in the upgraded SU7. Pre-orders for the new and improved EV opened on Wednesday, starting at just 229,900 yuan ($33,000).

Although it’s slightly higher than the current model, which starts at 215,900 yuan ($31,000), the updated SU7 is still cheaper than the Tesla Model 3 in China. The base Model 3 RWD starts at 235,500 yuan with a CLTC driving range of 634 km (394 mi).

The new SU7 is available in three trims: Standard, Pro, and Max, offering a CLTC range of up to 902 km (560 miles). Xiaomi’s current model delivers up to 830 km (516 mi) CLTC driving range.

Lei said the SU7 was the best-selling electric sedan priced above 200,000 yuan ($28,600) in China, according to data gathered by Chinese news outlet Auto Home.

The upgraded model now includes LiDAR as standard, as Xiaomi doubles down on safety as “the basis and premise,” according to Lei.

Xiaomi delivered more than 410,000 electric vehicles last year. In 2026, the Chinese tech giant aims to sell around 550,000 EVs. The updated SU7 is set to launch in April.

Source: CnEVPost, Xiaomi