When it comes to performance, pedigree means little in an age where new Chinese brands are prepared to invest heavily in upsetting the establishment.

That’s the case for the Xiaomi YU7 GT, which just set a new record lap from an SUV around the Nürburgring. The highest-performance YU7 model set a 7-minute, 34.931-second time, placing it just under two seconds ahead of the previous record-holder, the Audi RS Q8 (7:36.698).

The all-electric YU7 GT is yet to have its specifications officially revealed, but Chinese market regulatory documents indicate a dual-motor drivetrain rated to 738kW. That positions the YU7 GT below Xiaomi’s high-performance SU7 Ultra sedan, which boasts 1138kW from a three-motor drivetrain.

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Xiaomi is no stranger to Nürburgring records, setting the fastest lap time for a production EV with the SU7 Ultra in June 2025, posting a 7:04.957 lap time. By September 2025, that record had fallen, with BYD’s Yangwang U9 Xtreme posting a quicker 6:59.157 electric vehicle record.

Along with setting a new SUV record, the YU7 GT’s lap was set by Xiaomi test driver Ren Zhoucan, the first Chinese driver to receive official Nürburgring lap certification, which governs time-keeping according to the German circuit’s official standards.

While Xiaomi’s SU7 sedan and YU7 SUV ranges are closely related, the YU7 GT is believed to be a deliberate step down compared to the flagship SU7 Ultra, focusing on practicality and comfort in conjunction with performance, unlike the SU7 Ultra, which takes a more aggressive performance-first approach.

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Upgrades to the YU7 GT include a ‘Track Package’, which features carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes, wider 21-inch tyres with Michelin tyres, and software setting changes to stability and traction control, and suspension.

Although best known for its electronics in Australia, Xiaomi created the Xiaomi Auto division in 2021, with the first production vehicle, the mainstream versions of the SU7, launching in China in March 2024.

The large five-seat YU7 SUV is set to be joined by a bigger three-row SUV called the YU9, which will introduce Xiaomi’s first use of a plug-in hybrid powertrain.