Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi unveiled its first electric car on Thursday, while saying it aims to become one of the world’s top 5 automakers, Reuters reported.

Dubbed the SU7 “Su” by the Chinese company, the sedan is one that Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun says has a “super electric motor” based on technology capable of accelerating faster than equivalents of electric cars produced by Tesla. and Porsche.

Lei Jun also stated the big ambitions of the company he heads.

“By working hard in the next 15 to 20 years, we will become one of the top 5 car manufacturers in the world, with the ambition to elevate China’s auto industry as a whole,” he said at the unveiling of Xiaomi’s first electric car.

He also noted that among these ambitions is the creation of a “dream car comparable to Porsche and Tesla.”

Another aspect of the SU7 that Xiaomi hopes will attract customers is that its operating system is the same as that used in the company’s popular phones and other electronic devices.

Thus, drivers will be able to easily access the portfolio of programs that the Chinese company has developed over the years.

“Xiaomi is a well-known electronics brand with hundreds of millions of Mi fans or members of its smart device ecosystem. So they have a significant chance to make a hit when the car becomes a smart device,” Bill Russo, CEO of Automobility, a Shanghai-headquartered automotive consultancy, told Reuters.

What autonomy does Xiaomi promise to drivers who buy its electric car

SU7 will be offered to buyers in two versions – one with a range of up to 668 kilometers after a single charge of the battery and the second with a range of up to 800 kilometers.

For comparison, Tesla’s Model S has a range of up to 650 kilometers. However, we remind you that car manufacturers always advertise the maximum autonomy of their cars in optimal driving conditions, which can be drastically reduced in certain circumstances, for example in winter, when the cold can significantly reduce the distance you can drive before recharging.

But with China having just recorded one of its coldest Decembers since weather records began there, Xiaomi’s CEO tried to allay drivers’ concerns about the SU7’s winter performance.

Lei Jun said the electric car developed by his company uses “ultra-fast” low-temperature charging technology and can recognize obstacles in difficult driving conditions such as heavy snow.

The Chinese company has not yet announced the price of its electric car

As for the price of the two versions of the SU7, Xiaomi didn’t announce them at the big launch, with Lei Jun only admitting that “they may indeed be a bit overpriced.”

“But I think everyone will consider them justified,” he added.

Xiaomi, China’s fifth-largest smartphone maker, is trying to diversify beyond its core business amid stagnant demand for smartphones, announcing in 2021 that it wants to enter the electric car market.

As such, it joins other Chinese tech giants that have entered this market in their continued expansion in China, such as Huawei and Baidu, who have, however, entered into partnerships with car manufacturers to develop their electric vehicles.