Xiaomi SUV beats Model S Plaid Nürburgring

A Xiaomi-related claim on X on May 21 said a Xiaomi SUV had beaten Tesla’s Model S Plaid in a Nürburgring electric-vehicle lap comparison. The post paired a user video with a performance argument — lower power, lower implied price, quicker lap — but the core claim is not yet supported by an official Nürburgring SUV record listing. Tesla does have an official Nürburgring production-EV time on the books. Nürburgring said on June 3, 2023 that a Model S Plaid driven by Tom Schwister lapped the 20.8-kilometer Nordschleife in 7:25.231, with the run recorded under the circuit’s official process and checked by a notary and TÜV Rheinland. Xiaomi also has a verified Nürburgring result — but for a sedan, not an SUV. (nuerburgring.de) Nürburgring said Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra, driven by Vincent Radermecker, posted a 7:04.957 official lap in the “Electric Executive Car” category. ### Which Xiaomi vehicle is actually in play here? Xiaomi’s global launch page identifies the YU7 as the company’s “first high-performance SUV.” The page confirms the model’s official announcement, but it does not provide an official Nürburgring lap time in the material surfaced here. (nuerburgring.de) Xiaomi’s own discover pages and community posts show the YU7 has been positioned as the SUV follow-on to the SU7 line. (nuerburgring.de) Those pages describe the model’s design and, in some Xiaomi-hosted materials, refer to dual-motor versions with 690 PS or to a higher-output YU7 GT variant discussed in community posts, but those are not Nürburgring certification documents. ### Why doesn’t the X post settle the question? (mi.com) The May 21 X post is evidence that the claim is circulating, not that the lap is official. Nürburgring says official record attempts are timed with calibrated equipment, accompanied by a notary, and subject to vehicle inspection; that is the standard the circuit uses for the lap times it publishes. (mi.com) The comparison in the post also appears to mix vehicle classes. Tesla’s published 7:25.231 time is for an electric production car, while Xiaomi’s published 7:04.957 result is in the “Electric Executive Car” category for the SU7 Ultra sedan. Nürburgring groups official laps by category, which means a sedan record and an SUV claim are not automatically like-for-like. (nuerburgring.de) ### What can be verified on power and price? Tesla’s official Nürburgring release described the Model S Plaid used for its 2023 run as a 1,020-hp tri-motor car fitted with the Track Pack. Xiaomi-hosted materials available through search describe the all-wheel-drive YU7 at 690 PS in one market page, while Xiaomi community posts describe a higher-performance YU7 GT at roughly 990 horsepower. (nuerburgring.de) Those figures show why social-media comparisons can vary depending on which YU7 version a user is referencing. ### So what is the cleanest version of the story right now? As of May 21, the verified Nürburgring facts are these: Tesla’s Model S Plaid has an official 7:25.231 Nordschleife lap, and Xiaomi’s official published Nürburgring breakthrough is the SU7 Ultra sedan’s 7:04.957. (nuerburgring.de) Xiaomi’s YU7 SUV is officially announced, but an official Nürburgring SUV lap beating the Plaid was not confirmed in the sources reviewed here. (mi.com) Nürburgring’s official record pages and Xiaomi’s launch materials are the next places to watch for a named driver, a dated run, a category label and a published lap time. (nuerburgring.de 1) (nuerburgring.de 2)