China’s Xiaomi launches SkyNomad SUV series offering space and reconfigurable interiors
By Ju-min Park and Qiaoyi Li
BEIJING, July 30 (Reuters) – China’s Xiaomi launched an SUV series called SkyNomad on Thursday, expanding its EV range into the large family SUV segment, aiming to boost sales in the country’s ultra-competitive car market ahead of a planned European launch next year.
With SkyNomad, Xiaomi hopes to boost vehicle deliveries after first-half electric vehicle sales reached only a third of its annual target and consumer demand softened in the world’s largest auto market amid a sluggish economy.
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Xiaomi, which also makes smartphones and “home appliances,” positioned the SkyNomad as an “intelligent, reconfigurable, large-space SUV,” comparing it to the SU7 sedan and YU7 SUV series that focus on driving dynamics.
For Xiaomi, whose EV business has become an increasingly important source of revenue over the past two years, the SkyNomad represents an entry into China’s family SUV market.
GASOLINE ENGINE HELPING EXPAND THE PRODUCT RANGE
The flagship N90 Max, a seven-seat SUV that Xiaomi describes as “a house you can move”, combines a 76-kilowatt-hour battery with a 1.5-litre turbocharged range extender and a 60-litre fuel tank.
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Extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs, are primarily powered by electric motors and use a gasoline engine as an onboard generator to recharge the battery or maintain electricity supply when necessary.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said at the launch event: “Six seats are not enough for families… If we compare a vehicle with a house, we can freely organize and decorate our space.”
Xiaomi said the N90 Max, priced at 299,900 yuan ($44,397), has a total range of up to 1,705 km (1,059 miles).
The SkyNomad series is built on the new Kunlun architecture, which Xiaomi says has been developed specifically for larger SUVs with adaptable cabins.
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Lei said Xiaomi will take pre-orders starting Thursday and launch the vehicles in September.
($1 = 6.7550 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Ju-min Park and Qiaoyi Li; Editing by David Holmes)
