xiaomi debuts SU7, its first self-driving electric sedan made of die-cast alloy

Xiaomi’s SU7 electric sedan can be a self-driving car

Xiaomi introduces a new member of its electronics and technology family, this time in the form of an autonomous-enabled electric sedan named SU7, whose body parts are crafted from die-casted alloy. The vehicle’s self-driving option and capabilities allow the car to park itself. Xiaomi has entered the green-vehicle industry with the debut of SU7 alongside three self-driving technologies that may be equipped in the electric sedan, the car’s design and Xiaomi’s next generation of vehicles.

The first is called Adaptive BEV Technology, which helps SU7 adjust how it perceives road situations based on different instances. It provides the car with a wider view of cities, enabling it to see further at high speeds and park more precisely. The Road-Mapping Foundational Model comes next, changing how the car understands road conditions in real time. Through this, electric cars like SU7 can adapt to different driving paths and navigate complex intersections without relying on detailed maps.

The Super-Res Occupancy Network Technology is next in line, allowing its next generation of electric and smart cars to recognize various obstacles using an in-house algorithm that aims to offer better accuracy in detection. Xiaomi claims this may be particularly effective at spotting irregular obstacles on the road. Xiaomi also states that it has developed the world’s first End-to-End Sensing and Decision-Making AI Model for automated parking, enabling the self-driving electric sedan and the next electric cars to observe and make real-time decisions, especially in challenging situations, supported by hardware such as NVIDIA Orin chips, LiDAR, cameras, and radars.

images by Xiaomi

Die-casted alloy parts from self-developed material

For its first self-driving-enabled electric sedan, Xiaomi is not stopping at developing new technologies. In fact, it employs an in-house created Xiaomi Die-Casting T9100 cluster and a material named Xiaomi Titans Metal to produce SU7. The Xiaomi Die-Casting T9100 is a massive structure, almost the size of a football field, and a high-tech machine that can shape metal with force.

This led to the introduction of Xiaomi Titans Metal, which is an alloy Xiaomi created and that the tech company claims is strong and flexible. By using and combining these two, Xiaomi says SU7 integrates 72 components into one for its rear underbody, reduces welded joints by 840, and decreases its overall weight by 17 percent and production hours by 45 percent.

Home entertainment feel for SU7’s smart cabin

Inside Xiaomi’s self-driving electric sedan, its electronics and technology keep up with the other parts’ pace. The central console is a 16.1-inch screen, almost like a tablet, where the driver can control SU7’s functionalities, and there is a Head-Up Display (HUD) that flashes the car’s speed in front of the driver without them having to look away from the road. The dashboard can rotate in front of the driver and is a 7.1-inch screen that displays app functionalities just like the central console. There are also mounts on the back of the front seats where the user can attach tablets so that the people in the back can use their tablets while riding.

Xiaomi says that when the user unlocks the self-driving electric sedan, the system inside is ready to go in just 1.49 seconds since it is designed to be easy to use, like using a tablet, and it connects smoothly with the user’s smartphone. Because it also has a tablet feel to it, the consoles can run many different apps, including those from Xiaomi’s tablet app collection and thousands of others. The user can even bring their phone into the car, which automatically connects to the car’s system, making it easy to use the phone’s features on the car screen.

For specs buffs, Xiaomi SU7 can achieve a 0 to 100 acceleration in 2.78 seconds, placing itself in the sub-2-second supercar club, while being capable of reaching a top speed of 265 km/h, thanks to Xiaomi’s self-developed E-motor – HyperEngine and CTB Integrated Battery Technology. The mass production of Xiaomi’s first self-driving electric sedan is set to take place in the first half of 2024.