Xiaomi’s SU7 electric vehicle has drawn plenty of side-eye from critics claiming it’s a flagrant Porsche Taycan lookalike. But Xiaomi SU7 auto designer is setting the record straight – those unmistakable supercar styling cues are all in service of maximum EV efficiency.
Xiaomi’s first-ever electric vehicle, Xiaomi SU7, is off to quite the electrifying start. The Chinese EV garnered a staggering 50,000+ reservations in just 27 minutes after its launch. Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun, the standard version of this car will pack a staggering 700KM range right out of the gate. Under the same 19-inch wheelbase as the Tesla Model 3, the SU7 is touted to surpass even the long-range version.
Form Follows Aerodynamic Function
In a recent interview, Xiaomi SU7 EV design Li Tianyuan laid out the core principles that shaped the SU7’s svelte, coupe-like silhouette.
“The overriding principle of the SU7 was to be a very efficient car,” Li stated bluntly. Achieving class-leading aerodynamics and range was the inviolable top priority – even above flashy aesthetics.
With that mandate in mind, the SU7’s fluid, sporty shape emerged as a natural solution. Li explained the car’s dramatically sloped, teardrop profile and muscular wheel arches optimize aerodynamics by reducing wind resistance.
“From that we followed through to the body form choosing a fluid, sporty shape to create a car with passion and personality,” Li said.
If the final SU7 design evokes shades of Porsche, Li insists it’s mere “convergence” borne from chasing similar aerodynamic goals – not intentional mimicry.
“Xiaomi has never deliberately considered similarity to Porsche or cared particularly about whether it looks like it,” he claimed. “The first principle is always to pursue form and follow function.”
Li added that leading automotive designers overwhelmingly back Xiaomi’s ultra-aerodynamic, wind-cheating ethos. When it comes to EVs, prioritizing slippery styling is undeniably the path of least air resistance.
If Xiaomi EV derived inspiration from one of the sleekest, most aerodynamic production cars on the planet, can you really fault them? For an EV startup chasing maximum range and efficiency, there are certainly designs to emulate.