Ludicrous Chinese electric SUV claims up to 508kW and 837km of driving range: 2025 Xiaomi YU7 is an electrified Ferrari Purosangue for a fraction of the price

It’s said that imitation is the best form of flattery, but at what point does it go too far?

Chinese tech company Xiaomi appears to be putting that proverb to the test with the brand’s latest electric car, the YU7.

The 5.0-metre SUV is the closest thing to an electrified Ferrari Purosangue we’ve seen, and it's even underpinned by the brand’s “Modena” platform, which is evidently inspired by the town in Italy where the storied Italian supercar brand hails from.

There’s no 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V12 to be found here, however. Rather, the YU7 is powered by a powerful 800-volt architecture that comes in three single or dual electric motor configurations, all of which use the brand’s ‘V6s’ electric motors.

At the low-end, the YU7 RWD will deliver 235kW/528Nm, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.8 seconds. The mid-spec Pro AWD adds an additional electric motor, upping outputs to 365kW/690Nm and cutting its sprint time to 4.3 seconds.

The Max AWD headlines the range with a staggering 508kW/866Nm, which is 25kW short of the Purosangue but 150Nm torquier. It’s 0-100km/h time is 3.3 seconds, putting it coincidentally (or intentionally?) on par with the Ferrari.

Xiaomi said that the YU7’s performance won’t come at the expense of driving range, with the brand claiming up to 835km of range on the RWD thanks to a 83.5kWh Lithium-Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery.

The same unit is used on the Pro AWD, which sees range dip to 770km, while the Max AWD gains a 101kWh Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) unit delivering 760km.

The car’s 800-volt architecture enables rapid 5C charging and a supposed range top-up of 620km in just 15 minutes.

The entire platform has been rigorously safety tested, according to the brand, and features an ultra-high-strength steel roll cage and a 20-in-1 aluminium die-cast frame. The battery, meanwhile, has been reinforced with bullet-resistant coating.

According to CarNewsChina, Xiaomi has knuckled down on safety in the wake of a fatal crash in March involving the brand's first car, the SU7, while it had its autonomous driving systems engaged.

The incident led to the Chinese government banning terms like “smart driving” and “autonomous driving” from the advertising lingo of all carmakers, and forced Xiaomi to postpone the YU7’s Shanghai motor show launch.

At this stage, it appears the YU7 will only be available for the Chinese domestic market, with CarNewsChina foreshadowing a starting price of 199,000 yuan ($43,065), which is a relative bargain when you consider the Purosangue's local price tag of $728,000 before on-road costs.

If it's anything like the viral SU7, it's guaranteed to fly out of showrooms quicker than it can sprint.