After learning about it a little sooner than was expected, the partnership between Gran Turismo and the nascent Xiaomi Auto brand has been officially revealed at the GT World Series event in London.
Announced on-stage ahead of the Manufacturers Cup event by Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Xiaomi head of vehicle dynamics Zhoucan Ren, the collaboration will see the brand’s record-breaking SU7 Ultra sedan added to Gran Turismo 7 soon, ahead of a Vision GT vehicle.
For most outside of China, Xiaomi is best known for its mobile phone products; it is in fact the second-biggest producer of mobile phones after Samsung. As a major consumer electronics firm, its product lines extend to just about anything you can prefix with “smart-“, from televisions to wearables, all made in-house and running the same “HyperOS” software.
That extends to cars too, after an Executive Order from the outgoing White House administration in January 2021 blacklisted the company — since rescinded — preventing US individuals and concerns from investing in Xiaomi or buying its products. The company pivoted to automotive manufacturing as a way to preserve jobs if the US market became closed to its electronics.
That led to the SU7, an all-electric sedan, which was developed, produced, and launched in just over three years from the original decision to add cars to Xiaomi’s product lines.
The vehicle is manufactured by Xiaomi Auto itself at a brand-new facility in Yizhuangzhen, about 16 miles south-east of the center of Beijing, which is already expanding as the company adds an “F2” factory next-door to the “F1” plant. A device known as the Super Die Casting 9100T is the centerpiece, stamping out bodies so fast that Xiaomi can make an SU7 every 76 seconds.
It’s available in a few specifications, with the single-motor, 295hp model being the entry level version in short- and long-range (Pro) flavors. The dual-motor Max packs some 665hp, and can hit 60mph in under three seconds, but even that is a slowcoach compared to the 1,525hp tri-motor Ultra model that will be making its debut in GT7.
A specially adapted version of the Ultra, essentially in racing specification, set an all-comers four-door sedan record lap at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 2024, beating a Prodrive-tuned Subaru Impreza NBR track car by 11 seconds at 6:46.8. As the car wasn’t road legal, it also holds the unofficial EV four-door record, though the Porsche Taycan Turbo’s 7:07.5 remains the official record.
Xiaomi Auto marked the occasion by becoming a major partner with the Nurburgring, taking corner-naming rights for the left-hander after the Michael-Schumacher-S and joining the Industry Pool of brands that test there.
The partnership with Gran Turismo — which is a major sponsor for the Nurburgring 24hr — is thus not much of a surprise as Xiaomi Auto seeks to establish itself outside its native China, ahead of the launch of its second car: the YU7 electric SUV.
GT fans will have the opportunity to drive the SU7 Ultra soon — though the date is yet to be announced — and there’ll be at least one other Xiaomi added to the game too: a Vision GT.
The exact nature of this car is under wraps for now, but it looks set to have a serious rear wing. A Xiaomi concept named “Vision GT” was presented recently as part of a collaboration with the China Academy of Art, but this wasn’t an official project.
As always, we’ll keep a close eye on future developments.
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