- The YU7 GT took the crown away from the Audi RS Q8.
- Twin motors allow the flagship Xiaomi YU7 to deliver 990 hp.
- The SUV used had a stripped-out interior and a roll cage.
Xiaomi just can’t stop snatching Nurburgring lap records away from its European rivals. After the SU7 Ultra grabbed the four-door record in late 2024 before losing it again to the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Manthey, the company has returned to take the outright production SUV record.
With chief test driver Ren Zhoucan behind the wheel, the new YU7 GT went around the Nordschleife in 7:34.931. That figure is enough to displace the Audi RS Q8’s 7:36.698, which itself had taken the record from the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe at 7:38.925.
Read: Xiaomi’s 990 HP Family SUV Costs Less Than A Base Macan EV And Outguns The Turbo
There is, predictably with most Nurburgring record runs, an asterisk. The YU7 GT that set the time wasn’t the standard, or base, if you will, version you buy from a Xiaomi dealer. The Chinese carmaker says the vehicle was equipped with what appears to be an optional “Track Professional Package,” which sounds a lot like the Manthey upgrades Porsche uses for its record-setting cars.
Xiaomi has at least spelled out part of the kit. The package brings 265mm front and 325mm rear semi-slick tires, along with widened rear wheel arches to cover them. But there’s more.
“At the Nürburgring’s request, we performed safety modifications inside the car, including a full-cage roll cage, racing bucket seats, and six-point harnesses,” the company said. “We also removed some interior trim to balance the added weight of the roll cage. This is a production car that has passed the Nürburgring’s official certification and testing.”
The onboard video tells you the rest. The cage is in, the rear seats are gone, and the driver is sitting in what looks like a single lightweight bucket.
That said, the previous record holder in the category wasn’t exactly bone stock either. The RS Q8 also ran the mandatory roll cage and what looks from the video to be a lightweight safety bucket, with the rear bench pulled out for the run as well.
What Powers It?
Xiaomi presented the YU7 GT to the world at last month’s Beijing Auto Show. While not as extreme as the SU7 Ultra, it still offers the kind of power and performance once reserved for multi-million-dollar hypercars and previously unthinkable for a luxury SUV.
Beneath the skin is a 101.7 kWh battery pack that drives a 386 hp electric motor at the front wheels and a 604 hp motor at the rear wheels, delivering a combined 990 hp. There’s no official word yet on how quickly it can hit 100 km/h (62 mph), but it should leave most performance SUVs sold in the West for dead off the line.
Aiding in the YU7 GT’s on-track prowess is the fact that it uses a trick suspension that offers adjustability for the compression, rebound, and ride height, a setup that was specifically honed at the Nurburgring.
