The Surprising Revelation by Ford’s CEO
Last week, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley made headlines with an unexpected announcement regarding his personal driving preferences. He revealed that for the past six months, he has been driving an electric sedan from Xiaomi, a prominent Chinese consumer electronics brand. The car in question is the production version of the Xiaomi SU7. Farley’s announcement raises questions about the future of electric vehicles and consumer choices in the automotive landscape.
Xiaomi’s Ambitious Plans for the SU7 Ultra
Following the revelations about the SU7, Xiaomi is poised to introduce the high-performance SU7 Ultra. Recent developments have shown that a prototype of this model achieved an impressive lap time of 6:46.87 minutes at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Although this time does not qualify for an official production-car record, it does showcase significant capabilities, especially when compared to existing electric vehicle benchmarks.
Performance Metrics and Future Prospects
The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra’s prototype lap offered fascinating insights, notably showing power loss around the 4:15-minute mark during testing, as captured in an onboard video. While this prototype is stripped down to save weight, it augments the car’s potential performance under duress. For the final production version, Xiaomi claims a remarkable top speed of 217 mph, coupled with an astonishing output of 1,527 horsepower and up to 628 pounds of downforce from its aerodynamics. With such extraordinary specifications, there’s growing anticipation around whether this car will join the ranks of sub-seven-minute contenders at the infamous German racetrack. Only time will tell if these prototypes can translate their performance into commercial success.