- Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra lapped the Shanghai International Circuit in 2:09.94.
- The Chinese EV easily beat the 2:11.28 time set by the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT.
- SU7 Ultras feature one front motor and two rear motors generating 1,527 hp.
Xiaomi has whipped out its stopwatch again, this time to prove its SU7 Ultra is the fastest production car around the Shanghai International Circuit (SIC). The electric Ultra lapped the track in 2:09.94 setting a new record for showroom cars of any power type.
Setting a new record at SIC meant smashing an old one, in this case the time set by the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. The flagship Taycan, which comes with a rear-seat delete when you option the Weissach package, rounded the 3.39-mile (5.45 km) course in 2:11.28 in 2024, though the track was slightly damp.
Related: Xiaomi SU7 Ultra On Sale From $114K, Watch Prototype Lap The ‘Ring In 6:46
Video of the record shows the SU7 hitting an incredible 201 mph (323 km/h) on the back straight, while footage of the Taycan taken earlier reveals the German car only reached 180 mph (291 km/h) despite braking later for the following tight right-hander.
You can see the solo clip in high quality below, but after that take a look at the side-by-side video comparing the Porsche and SU7 runs further down the post. The quality isn’t as good but it’s interesting to watch because you can see where the Ultra pulls away from the Porsche and also how it seems to lose some of that advantage through the corners. We’d love to see some proper telemetry on the two runs.
The SU7 Ultra has three electric motors, one up front and a pair behind, and makes 1,527 hp (1,139 kW / 1,548 PS). This is 435 hp (324 kW / 440 PS) more than the rival Taycan Turbo GT, which explains why the Chinese car is so much faster on the straight bits.
Porsche quotes zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.1 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph (306 km/h) for the Weissach-equipped GT, but the Ultra beats both stats according to Xiaomi’s 1.98-second and 217 mph (350 km/h) claims.
This isn’t the first time an SU7 Ultra has beaten the Taycan Turbo GT. Last year a Xiaomi lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:46.87, carving 20 seconds out of the Porsche’s best time. But on that occasion Xiaomi wasn’t quite playing fair, having turned up to the ring in a prototype car with no interior, whereas Porsche had set its time in a full production model whose only mods were things like a cage to keep the driver safe in event of a major off.
This time, to make sure there were no asterisks applied to its record result, the Chinese automaker arrived with a genuine production-spec car, including tires, and recorded the time using the same equipment used when the F1 circus is in town.
The Ultra goes on sale in China later this month priced at 814,900 CNY, which equates to $112,000. For comparison, that wouldn’t even get you into a base Taycan 4S in the US, where the Taycan Turbo GT starts at a staggering $230,000, or more than double the Xiaomi’s price. In China, the Turbo GT is even pricier, starting at 1,998,000 CNY ($275,500), with or without the Weissach Package, which is a no-cost option.
