Xiaomi SU7 Crash: Safety Concerns of Autopilot and EV Batteries

Investors tremble: Xiaomi shares: Analyst warns of “major setbacks”

After an accident that left three people dead, Xiaomi’s electric car, the SU7, is in the spotlight. Shares fall – investors fear software errors. Xiaomi shares continued to come under pressure on Wednesday following a fatal accident involving one of its new electric vehicles.

Although the share initially recovered slightly by 0.3 percent in Hong Kong morning trading, it then fell back into negative territory by over 3.7 percent. It had already fallen by 5.5 percent on Tuesday. The reason for this is a tragic accident involving the new Xiaomi SU7, an electric car with advanced driver assistance software. As the company confirmed on Tuesday, there was a collision on a highway in China.

Electric cars Xiaomi SU7: Crash of Porsche competitor Xiaomi shocks China

The beautifully designed Xiaomi SU7 sports car was admired worldwide. But now it caused a serious accident, killing three people. How safe are China’s electric cars?

Shanghai. Until now, the stylish Chinese Porsche competitor Xiaomi SU7 made euphoric headlines, but a fatal accident in China raises safety questions. Last weekend, an Xiaomi SU7 electric car crashed on a highway in Anhui Province near Shanghai and burst into flames.

According to local Chinese media, three people were killed after a vehicle from Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi crashed into a roadside wall. The company has since confirmed the number of fatalities: “We express our deepest condolences to the families,” the company said in a statement posted on the short message service Weibo.

Shares of the Beijing-based technology group

The fatal crash raises questions: Did the driver assistance software fail? And given that the vehicle immediately burst into flames after the crash, what was the safety of the built-in battery?

Shares of the Beijing-based technology group, which has only been offering cars for a little over a year and is primarily known in China for its smartphones, televisions, and laptops, lost more than five percent on Tuesday, but recovered somewhat on Wednesday. The company, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raised approximately $5.5 billion last week through a share offering for its ambitious expansion plans in electric mobility.

Incident involving Xiaomi SU7 car weighs on electronics company

In Hong Kong, shares of Xiaomi, a company known here primarily as a mobile phone manufacturer, fell again by almost 1 percent. The share price had already come under pressure the previous day, losing around 5 percent. The fall was triggered by a fatal accident involving a Xiaomi electric car in China.

In a post on the social media website Weibo, Xiaomi explained that the Xiaomi SU7 model was in “Navigation on Autopilot” mode and was traveling at an average speed of 116 kilometers per hour.

Xiaomi SU7 autopilot accident: On Chinese highway

On the highway in China: Incident with Xiaomi autopilot

Xiaomi confirms a serious accident involving its autopilot. The driver’s reaction time was just two seconds. The braking system was provided by Bosch.

A fatal accident involving a Xiaomi car raises questions about the safety of the Beijing-based company’s autopilot system. Three female students were killed in the accident while traveling from Wuhan to Anhui Province to take an exam, according to Chinese media reports. The accident involving the electric car occurred on a highway on Saturday evening.

Xiaomi did not comment on the deaths, but confirmed a “serious traffic accident.” “We deeply regret this,” the company wrote on the short message service Weibo, similar to X, and promised to cooperate with the police. “According to preliminary information, the vehicle was in NOA intelligent driving assistance mode before the accident,” it continued. NOA stands for “Navigate on Autopilot.”

Construction work was taking place on the section of road, and vehicles were diverted to the opposite lane. “The vehicle detected the obstacle, issued a warning, and began to slow down.” The driver then took control, continued to brake, and steer. “The vehicle then collided with the concrete barrier in the median. The confirmed terminal speed before the collision was approximately 97 km/h.”

Two to four seconds between warning and collision

According to the report, there was a delay of two to four seconds between the system’s risk warning and the fatal collision. Further reports state that the driver was the girlfriend of the vehicle owner. Images circulating online show a completely burned-out car.

According to the business media outlet Caixin, the car was equipped with a BYD battery. The “integrated braking system as well as the battery management system for monitoring voltage and charge level” are, according to Bosch, supplied by Bosch. When contacted, the German supplier referred the manufacturer to the manufacturer. They said they had no further information and did not want to prejudge the investigation.

The mere fact that the reports and the statement exist is remarkable. Reports of accidents involving autopilot are very rare in China. It’s unclear whether this is due to the low incidence of accidents or whether censorship suppresses reporting. In Xiaomi’s case, there were also approximately 60 hours between the accident and the statement on Weibo, during which unconfirmed information circulated on social media.

On Tuesday, the accident was the most discussed topic on Weibo, and on China’s TikTok version, the accident and its consequences appeared three times in the top 10 most discussed topics. Many users asked why Xiaomi had been so slow to respond. There were also rumors that the car’s doors wouldn’t open. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung was unable to verify this information.

Similar case with Aito

Last year, the US newspaper “New York Times” reported on the case of an Aito, a car brand in which Huawei has a stake. The car crashed on a highway while its autopilot was engaged. A woman posted videos online in which she said she had lost her husband, brother, and son and demanded an investigation.

The videos disappeared, as did a detailed report from a Chinese business media outlet. Days later, Aito denied any responsibility. The car was reportedly traveling at a speed of more than 110 kilometers per hour. However, the automatic braking system was only designed for 85 kilometers per hour.

Autonomous driving features are widespread in new Chinese cars. Industry observers estimate that two-thirds of cars sold this year, or approximately 15 million vehicles, will be equipped with an advanced autopilot. Wang Chuan-fu, CEO of the world’s largest electric car manufacturer BYD, announced that the systems would become standard. Even cars costing around €10,000 will be equipped with an autopilot at no extra charge.

Great trust in autonomous systems

The government is strongly supporting the technology. Many cities have designated test areas where hundreds of autonomous taxis are operating. However, unlike private cars, these are monitored by security drivers who are not in the vehicle.

Many Chinese people place great trust in these systems. Officially, these systems are Level 2 autopilots in private cars, meaning the driver retains legal responsibility and must be able to intervene at any time. In reality, many customers use the autopilots as if they were Level 4 systems, where the driver does not need to intervene. However, there are currently no regulations for this in China either. Autonomous driving systems are typically classified from Level 1 to 5. Level 1 includes simple functions such as cruise control; from Level 3 onwards, legal responsibility is transferred to the manufacturer.

The electronics giant Xiaomi, previously known primarily for its home appliances and smartphones, entered the automotive industry a year ago. The company immediately became one of the most popular manufacturers, selling more than 200,000 vehicles in less than a year. Xiaomi’s share price in Hong Kong fell by more than six percent at one point on Tuesday and closed 5.5 percent lower at the close.

Xiaomi’s electric car in flames – police investigate after accident with three dead

They were driving at 116 km/h with the driver assistance system activated: According to media reports, three women died in their electric car. Manufacturer Xiaomi has now released initial details about the accident.

Three women died in their electric sports car in an accident on a highway in China. Shortly before the collision on March 29, the car was traveling at 116 km/h (72 mph) in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui – with the NOA (Navigation on Autopilot) system activated. Manufacturer Xiaomi has now announced its cooperation with the police.

The Chinese technology group has handed over the driving and system data of the Xiaomi SU7 model to the authorities, the company said.

As the car approached a construction site, the vehicle sounded an alarm and switched to manual mode. This is according to a log Xiaomi published on Weibo, China’s version of the online platform X. The Xiaomi SU7 sports car braked, but a few seconds later crashed into a barrier at 97 km/h.

The reason the car crashed into the obstacle is still under investigation. Videos circulated online purporting to show the car, which has been a best-seller in China since its release about a year ago, engulfed in flames. Photos showed the completely demolished, burnt-out wreck.

Couldn’t the doors be opened?

According to media reports, the three women burned to death in the car. Some users therefore discussed online whether the car doors could not be opened. Xiaomi did not address the door opening issue in its statement.

Xiaomi is the world’s third-largest smartphone manufacturer and also offers kitchen appliances such as vacuum cleaners and kettles, as well as other electronic devices. The company only entered vehicle production in 2024. The first model, the Xiaomi SU7, overtook Tesla’s Model 3 in the Chinese market in December.

Conclusion: Expert Insights, “What This Accident Means for the Future of EVs“

This tragic accident raises serious concerns about the safety of Xiaomi’s NOA-assisted driving system. The broader risks of EV battery fires. The two-second warning window before impact highlights a critical flaw. Drivers may not have enough time to react. And raising questions about whether Xiaomi’s AI should implement more proactive emergency braking.

Xiaomi SU7 FAQs

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