And why is it so relatively cheap? Where did they cut corners? Are they spying on you like the cheap Chinese TVs? It can’t be just because it’s government subsidized.
They are spying yes,all the others are too which doesnt make it ok but that is why it is subsidised by the state.
They cut corners on comfort and noise levels from my experience of similar brands
They’ll be banned faster than you can memorize the spelling of Xiaomi. At least in the US, where we make sure the old inefficient companies stay afloat despite their incompetence.
The thing is, if the American government wants to be protectionist against Chinese cars, IMHO they need to pass legally binding legislation to force US car manufacturers to meet or exceed what the Chinese cars are offering and then directly subsidize the cost of those vehicles to the consumer, freely, with no stipulations. The punishment for failure to meet and exceed those expectations should be bankruptcy through immediate removal of the protectionist mechanisms.
So you think the entire world’s auto manufacturers outside of China are incompetent and inefficient? People always act like the only vehicles sold in the US are domestic brands when they don’t even make up a majority here.
Corrupted by the oil industry and colluding together would be a better term. Someone please stop China, they are destroying the “EVs are luxury vehicles only” gimmick.
Well I wouldn’t say they’re all incompetent but look at how glacial all the “traditional” car companies have become. These guys are innovating at a speed never seen before while your traditional car manufacturers are stumbling over themselves trying to keep up.
On the german side, just take a look at BMW and how long it took for them to come up with a competent electric platform. They just got their first car on a good platform (the new X3). Mercedes still doesn’t have a good EV, and neither does Audi. Their etron is outdated.
Moving to the Japanese brands. I know Toyota isn’t focused on EVs at all and their hybrid is top notch so they’re one of the better ones out there. But no one else is even close. Not in terms of value for money. Not in terms of tech.
The only ones that get close are Tesla because, like the Chinese, they’re running their car companies like tech companies and not car companies.
What innovations are lacking specifically? I dont know of any features unique to Chinese brands. It seems more like you think every company should only be selling EVs for dirt cheap prices, but that isn’t realistic becausw those aren’t real prices and EVs aren’t yet practical for everyone which is why they make up such a small percentage of sales here still (though this number climbs with each quarter).
Poptop camper 😍
Damn, never though I’d say this, but I think China is gonna save capitalism from itself.
Yes, I fear those SUVs but not because that one is cheap, for an SUV but because oversized SUVs kill people (at a much higher rate than regular cars, even those with comparable loading volume).
I’ve apparently read my limit of Wired articles this month.
What’s it say?
If there’s one thing that can unite the world in these AI-troubled times, it’s everyone’s love of SUVs. For decades, the SUV has been the savior of the car world. Accounting for nearly half of all new sales worldwide, this is by some margin the largest segment in the global auto industry.
Sedans? Forget it. Ford doesn’t even sell a traditional sedan in the US now. China still likes a sedan. About a third of all Chinese autos are in this form, compared with less than half that for the US. But Chinese carmakers know full well how much we love our chunky SUVs, so they are focusing their efforts to lure the Western world away from familiar marques.
Indeed, Xiaomi has just played its hand in this particular game, revealing the remaining details earlier this month in Beijing—including the all-important pricing—of its coming SkyNomad SUVs. Bentley and Range Rover may well have revealed their flagship electric SUVs, but both will be mightily worried about just how many scalps Xiaomi Auto’s SkyNomad SUVs will take from them. If they’re not, they should be. Sedan to SUV Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Car Car Interior Car Seat Chair and Furniture
The new Xiaomi Auto SkyNomad N70 is a five-seat, extended-range EV that has better technology than a Range Rover at half the price of a Velar. Courtesy of Xiaomi
Trucks and SUVs represent more than 80 percent of new vehicle sales in America these days. Marc McGrath, US CEO of the automotive manufacturer Schaeffler Group, tells WIRED that one of the main reasons the company is developing its own solid-state batteries is to properly electrify the power-hungry trucks and SUVs Americans so dearly love. No one wants another F-150 Lightning U-turn.
The shocking success of the Jaecoo 7 is a prime example of SUV supremacy. This Chinese-made ride has enjoyed a staggeringly meteoric rise in the UK, going from an unknown newcomer in 2025 to now being one of the country’s best-selling new cars. Nicknamed the “Temu Range Rover,” it comes in both gas and hybrid flavors, and the company liberally uses the word “luxury” in its marketing, yet the vehicle costs just £29,210 (a little over $39,000).
These 7s are becoming ubiquitous on UK roads. My local Nissan dealer has swiftly dumped the Japanese brand and is now an official Jaecoo dealer, offering not just the 7, but the Jaecoo 5 and 8. I can’t think of another auto brand that’s enjoyed such a rapid rise.
Other Chinese brands are playing the same tactic in Europe, such as XPeng and BYD, but the big one incoming is Xiaomi Auto, set to launch in Europe in 2027, despite only making its first EV in 2024. Astonishingly, its SU7 Ultra claimed the title of “World’s Fastest Sedan” the very same year.
Far from a Temu pretender, the SkyNomad is not only tech-laden, it’s also seemingly high-end, with seating that purports to be “more like an Italian sofa.” The SkyNomad N70 is a five-seater that, especially in its “Stealth Black Edition” guise, looks almost exactly like a Range Rover from the outside, and far more successfully than the Jaecoo. Image may contain Cushion Home Decor Floor and Window Courtesy of Xiaomi
The N90 Max Studio has a pop-up roof that lifts 100 mm to open a sleeping loft. Image may contain Computer Electronics Laptop Pc Accessories Glasses Adult Person Transportation and Vehicle Courtesy of Xiaomi
The SkyNomad floor rail system makes for a super-configurable interior.
The larger N90 is a seven-seater that also comes in a “Max Studio” camper version, complete with a pop-up roof. The second row can transform into a bed with one touch of a button—no disassembly, no mattress needed—just 30 seconds from upright seats to a flat, large bed.
The theme of reconfigurable interiors continues. A flat floor, courtesy of the Kunlun platform, comes with sliding rails built in from the front seats to the boot, meaning all (yes, all) the seat sections can move about. The front seats spin a full 180 degrees to face the second row; floor-mounted tables slot between the rows to make for “living-room-style" layouts; the center console can move forward or back at the press of a button; and rear legroom can max out at over 5 feet. In the N90 Max Studio, the pop-up roof lifts 100 mm to open a sleeping loft with 1.8 meters of headroom, along with heated flooring (!), a built-in projector, and a 30-inch projector screen.
An amazing optional extra for the SkyNomad is Xiaomi’s version of in-brand car-to-car communications. Essentially, it’s a walkie-talkie that runs on cellular network coverage rather than short-range radio, so it’s marketed as having “unlimited range” and looks very similar to tech Xiaomi already ships in its phones.
Just stop for a minute and compare what you’ve just read with the sorts of interior innovations Western brands deliver on flagship models these days. Power doors, multi-point massage seats, relaxation programs with scent sprays, and a central console that moves maybe 10 cm are the typical cutting-edge fare. The SkyNomad makes US and European efforts look, frankly, lazy—right when they desperately need to stop their decline and show they can compete. Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Car Car Interior and Car Seat Courtesy of Xiaomi
Despite the price, Xiaomi is offering an aggressively specced SUV. Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Car Aircraft Car Interior Cushion and Home Decor Courtesy of Xiaomi
Seat rows can move forward and back, allowing floor-mounted tables. Image may contain Chair Furniture Transportation Vehicle Cushion Home Decor Car and Car Interior Courtesy of Xiaomi
The front seats can swivel around 180 degrees to make meeting spaces. Image may contain Furniture Courtesy of Xiaomi
A low-power fridge continues to cool when the car is powered down.
There’s more. “Full scenario” voice control; customizable head-up display; lidar units, high-definition cameras, and Nvidia’s Thor-U chip for level 2-plus autonomous control. A low-voltage power system apparently keeps “sentry mode” drain to under 5 kilometers of range overnight, so the onboard fridge running on 0.72 kWh a day can offer up to 24-hour continuous cooling.
The extended-range plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a 1.5-liter turbocharged internal combustion generator with battery packs and dual electric motors. This ICE engine never drives the wheels, but the SUV can charge from 20 to 80 percent in as little as 18 minutes for a 300-plus-mile electric-only range, or 1,000-mile combined range. Yes, these stats use China’s far more forgiving CLTC cycle, but this converts to about 700 miles using stricter US EPA standards.
Now to the clincher: the price. The maxed-out N90 Max Studio with its camper roof clocks in at RMB 299,900, about $44,700. The entry-level N70 Pro five-seat, rear-wheel-drive model with its movable “Italian sofa” seats, lidar, 14-speaker sound system including subwoofer and headrest speakers, and prodigious range is just RMB 209,900, or just over $31,000—about the same as a 2026 Hyundai Tucson.
Earlier this month, I asked a Western luxury auto CEO what he thought about Xiaomi Auto. He laughed. “They make vacuums, don’t they?” he scoffed. I think he’ll rue the day he said that. It reminds me of when, in a 2011 Bloomberg interview, Musk laughed when asked if he saw BYD as a competitor. Musk isn’t laughing now. Make no mistake, Xiaomi is coming to clean up.
you’re a real one for that copy paste mate
Im curious why the headline says $31k but the article says $39k
$39k is referring to the Jaecoo 7, isn’t it?
My eyes definitely fear it
