Few tracks carry as much prestige as the Nurburgring. Known as the Green Hell, the German circuit has long served as a proving ground for automakers, a place to test cars, shatter lap records, and hand their customers something to boast about.
Audi’s RS Q8 Performance previously held the Nurburgring record by clocking the fastest lap in the SUV segment, courtesy of its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that produces 631 HP.
Racing driver Frank Stippler set a time of 7 minutes and 36.698 seconds around the 20.832-kilometer track in June 2024. Now, though, that has been beaten by Xiaomi’s upcoming SUV, the YU7 GT, by almost two seconds.
In the world of motorsports, two seconds is a significant amount of time. That Xiaomi, once known purely as a smartphone brand, is now setting Nurburgring records speaks volumes about its ambitions.
Xiaomi’s YU7 GT Sets a Blisteringly Fast Lap Time
The YU7 GT lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 34.93 seconds, according to a report by Motor 1. Test driver Ren Zhoucan was behind the wheel of the electric SUV, making him the first Chinese driver to set an official Nurburgring record.
The report goes on to state that the YU7 GT that broke the Nurburgring record won’t be the version that will be offered for sale to customers, since it featured a roll cage and the rear seats were taken out to shed weight for the lap record.
In addition, the record SUV also featured an optional Track Package, but details on that will only be available during the YU7 GT’s official launch on May 21.
Xiaomi’s upcoming SUV set the Nurburgring record more than a month ago on April 2, but the brand decided to announce it around the time of its launch.
Xiaomi YU7 GT Performance Stats
As per the report that referenced regulatory filings with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Xiaomi’s YU7 will feature a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system producing 990 horsepower.
Power is speculated to be generated by a 101.7-kWh battery pack, offering a maximum range of 438 miles (705 kilometers) as per China’s CLTC (China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle), which is reportedly more lenient compared to other global testing standards.
Some local reports suggest the Chinese automaker has made the YU7 capable of reaching speeds of up to 186 mph (300 km/h), which, if true, could make it the fastest SUV in the world.
These numbers seem realistic, given its record at the Nurburgring, where it was spotted reaching GPS-verified speeds of up to 185.7 mph (299 km/h) on the long straight.
While Xiaomi might have made a huge statement in the market by designing an electric SUV that put Audi in its rear-view mirror, the EV brand has set records at the Nurburgring in the past.
The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra was one such vehicle that set a lap time of 7 minutes and 04.95 seconds at the Green Hell. Xiaomi took it one step further last year when an SU7 Ultra prototype set an impressive lap time of 6 minutes and 22.09 seconds at the Nurburgring.
The SU7 boasts impressive supercar-level numbers, reaching 60 mph in just 2.78 seconds, while it achieves 124 mph in just 10.67 seconds. The car can reach a top speed of 165 mph (265 km/h).