6 Minutes
Cherry Red usually suggests elegance. In the case of the Xiaomi YU7 GT, it looks more like a warning.
Fresh street and factory sightings have pulled the wraps off Xiaomi’s upcoming high performance SUV, and the message is hard to miss. This is not just another fast electric crossover with oversized wheels and a sporty badge. The YU7 GT appears to be Xiaomi’s attempt to build a true grand touring performance SUV, one that can chase supercar numbers while still playing the role of a long distance luxury machine.
The official debut is expected in late May, but the latest images already tell a fairly complete story. Compared with the regular YU7, the GT keeps the same long bonnet proportions yet adds a more serious visual attitude. The front end has been sharpened with a more aggressive splitter, while the swollen front arches give the SUV a wider, more planted look. It has the stance of something built to move quickly, not just look expensive outside a hotel.
Xiaomi is also leaning heavily into aero. The YU7 GT is said to feature 10 separate through air channels, joined by a substantial rear diffuser and a spoiler with a raised centre section. That detail may also hide additional hardware for the brand’s advanced driver assistance systems, which hints at how Xiaomi wants this car to blend brute force with everyday intelligence.
Then there is the hardware you can spot at a glance. The SUV sits on 21 inch wheels and wears red brake callipers, with carbon ceramic discs widely expected underneath. That combination alone tells you Xiaomi is aiming above the usual family EV crowd.
Built for speed, but not only for speed
Xiaomi has been careful with the GT badge. Company executives have reportedly chosen Grand Tourer over Ultra for a reason. Where the SU7 Ultra leans into track car madness, the YU7 GT is being framed as something broader in character, a fast, expensive electric SUV designed to cover serious distance in comfort without dulling the performance edge.
Its footprint supports that ambition. At 5,015 mm long, 2,007 mm wide and 1,597 mm tall, with a 3,000 mm wheelbase, the YU7 GT lands squarely in the mid to large SUV class. In plain English, it is a substantial machine. Big enough to promise real cabin space and road presence, but clearly tuned to feel lower and sleeker than a traditional upright SUV.
Under the skin, the numbers become properly wild. Power comes from a dual motor setup pairing a 288 kW front motor from Inovance with a 450 kW rear motor developed by Xiaomi itself. Total output reaches 738 kW, or 990 hp. That is enough to push the YU7 GT to a claimed 300 km/h, a figure that places it in a very different conversation from mainstream electric SUVs.
The battery pack is rated at 101.7 kWh, and Xiaomi quotes a CLTC driving range of 705 km. As always, real world range will almost certainly be lower, especially if owners spend much time exploring all 990 horsepower. Still, the headline matters. Xiaomi wants buyers to see this as a machine that can cross provinces in comfort, not one that lives only for short bursts of acceleration.
It also arrives with the right supporting tools: air suspension, rear axle torque vectoring and Brembo components. Those details matter just as much as peak power. Anyone can build a fast EV in a straight line. Making a large electric SUV feel composed, adjustable and confidence inspiring is the harder trick.
Buyers will not be short of ways to personalise it either. Chinese regulatory filings suggest a wide menu of options, including different headlamp trim pieces, mirror designs, rear spoilers, bonnet ornaments, wheel styles and brake calliper colours. Xiaomi clearly understands that in this part of the market, visual identity matters nearly as much as the spec sheet.
The Cherry Red cars recently seen at the factory are expected to head to Xiaomi Auto showrooms across China soon, likely as display vehicles ahead of the launch. That timing makes sense. Xiaomi knows this SUV will draw crowds, especially now that the brand has already proven it can generate staggering early demand in the EV space.
The wider sales picture is worth watching too. The standard Xiaomi YU7, launched last June, reportedly racked up 200,000 orders in a short period and hit a monthly high of 39,089 units in December. Since then, after working through a huge order backlog, deliveries have cooled. March sales reached 13,558 units, a much lower figure and one only slightly above output levels seen before production fully ramped up last summer.
That makes the YU7 GT more than a halo model. It could become an important statement piece for Xiaomi’s automotive ambitions at a moment when attention matters again. And if these first sightings are any indication, Xiaomi is not planning to re enter the spotlight quietly.
Comments
v8rider
705 km CLTC while you floor all 990hp? Really? gonna need independent tests, numbers look optimistic. Aero bits and Brembo are nice tho
mechbyte
Whoa 990 hp in an SUV? Xiaomi actually did it. Cherry Red feels more like a dare, not elegance. I wanna see it go flat out... or maybe not, haha
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