The Chinese electric vehicles continue to make waves in the US — even if you can’t buy them. One of the most influential tech critics just gave his stamp of approval.
YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who goes by MKBHD, drove a Xiaomi SU7 Max for two weeks. The EV retails for 299,000 Chinese yuan, or about $42,000. Compare that to a Tesla Model 3 Performance, which retails at just under $55,000.
The verdict? MKBHD was blown away.
“This feels nothing like a $42,000 car,” he said. “This is a nice car.”
Walking around the EV, MKBHD compared it to a variety of other vehicles, including a Polestar and Mercedes. It looked a bit like a Porsche Taycan, he said, and had a Porsche-like steering wheel.
Inside, MKBHD called the software “so good.” It looked like what Apple would have done if the company made a car, he said.
MKBHD was particularly impressed with the vehicle’s accessory mounting points. Drivers can add additional gadgets like a speedometer, magnetic phone mount, charger, microphone, or walkie-talkie.
“What other car does this?” he asked. “I’ve never seen the ability to customize just how much hardware, or how little hardware, you have in the interior layout like Xiaomi does.”
Taking it for a drive, MKBHD said that it was a “really capable car,” comparing it to a Tesla Model 3 or a BMW I4.
“This is a $42,000 car that feels like a $75,000 car,” he added.
Like other Chinese EVs, the Xiaomi Speed Ultra 7 is not available in the United States, although more Americans have been going to great lengths to drive them. Ford CEO Jim Farley said in October that he loved the EV.
“We flew one from Shanghai to Chicago, and I’ve been driving it for six months now, and I don’t want to give it up,” Farley said on “The Fully Charged Podcast.”
Xiaomi is in many more industries than EVs. The company sells phones, robot vacuums, and more. Its EV division recently posted its first profit, a rarity for the industry.
Speaking to the question of what would happen if Chinese EVs were ever offered in the US, MKBHD asked: “Are we cooked?”
Not yet, he said — because they’re not available. That international crossover is muddled by political conflict, he said.
“We may never get a car like this available in the US for $42,000,” he said, citing tariffs and import fees.
However, other markets will soon face the competition. Xiaomi’s EVs are headed to Europe in 2027, the company’s president said on an August earnings call.
Europe could prove a helpful battleground for Xiaomi. While the Chinese EV company sets up shop, American producers like Tesla faced challenges in the market. European Tesla sales were down an estimated 48.5% year over year in October, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
“It raises the ceiling for all cars to get better, more impressive, and more complete,” MKBHD said.
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