EV sales skyrocket to 315k in 72 hours for 1 car brand with 500-mile range

A Chinese electric car company has secured over 300,000 orders just hours after launching their new model, with drivers having to wait more than a year to get their vehicle. Chinese EV brand Xiaomi has begun taking orders for their new YU7 electric crossover model, with thousands already securing a vehicle.

The new machine finally entered the Chinese market on June 26 and saw extraordinary demand. The car is believed to have hit a staggering 240,000 lock-in orders in just 18 hours after the car was made available to purchase. Meanwhile, sales figures rose to an estimated 280,800 – 315,900 orders just three days into the production run.

Company CEO Lei Jun was thrilled with the demand for the YU7, claiming thousands were sold just minutes into launch.

Lei said on a social media video: “My goodness, in just 2 minutes, we received 196,000 paid pre-orders and 128,000 lock-in orders.”

From the outside, Xiaomi's YU7 looks stunning with sweeping curves, stylish headlights, and polished trims.

Inside, it gets better with 10-point massaging front seats, adjustable back rests, a panoramic glass roof, and plenty of tech.

The model is equipped with a 16,1 inch touchscreen acting as a panoramic display across the dashboard.

As well as looking good, the new YU7 packs a punch for die-hard motoring enthusiasts with the model capable of hitting a 157mph top speed.

The YU7 has around 681bhp and can reach 0-62mph in just 3.2 seconds, making it one of the punchiest cars on the market.

Xiaomi has fitted the model with a 101.7 kWh battery with an estimated range of around 478 miles.

However, the car can be charged up almost instantly, with batteries topping up from 10% to 80% in as little as 12 minutes.

Lei previously added: “Knowing Xiaomi’s cars would be scrutinized by millions of netizens, that every flaw would be magnified 10-thousand-fold, we prioritized quality above all from day one.”

As of today, Xiaomi and the YU7 are only available in China, with the model not on sale here in the UK or the rest of Europe. However, Xiaomi’s meteoric rise in China’s EV market suggests a global outreach could be hugely successful.

Xiaomi has previously stressed that it intends to sell its electric models in overseas markets by 2027, meaning road users may not have long to wait.