Xiaomi’s long-awaited electric vehicle won’t be their only car offered as a new report claims it will also be sold with an extended-range hybrid powertrain.
It is understood that Xiaomi will offer two versions of its EV, expected to be dubbed the Modena. The first will use a Blade battery sourced from BYD with a 400-volt architecture while the flagship model will use CATL’s Qilin batteries with 101 kWh and an 800-volt architecture. Shoppers who want to maximize the range will also have the option of a range extender.
Pan Daily reports that this version of the Modena will come with either a 1.5-liter naturally-aspirated engine or a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine that works in conjunction with a large battery pack. Limited other details about this range-extender version are known, including just how far it will be able to travel on a charge. Nevertheless, there’s little doubt that it will broaden the appeal of the car.
It has only been two years since Xiaomi first announced its intention to develop and produce an electric vehicle. Images of the car leaked online earlier this year and local media reports that Xiaomi is currently building 50 prototypes each week at a factory in Beijing.
Read: Xiaomi’s First EV May Be Called The Modena, Could Premiere Later This Year
Xiaomi is building the Modena as a rival to the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal. It is expected to start at around 200,000 yuan ($27,392) in China.
While the company is new to the automotive space, it has grandiose ambitions. Last year, Xiaomi founder Lei Jun suggested that the world’s top car 5 brands will hold more than 80% of the EV market share when the industry reaches maturity. He says the only way for Xiaomi to survive in the car industry is for it to be one of these top 5 and ship more than 10 million cars annually.
