HONG KONG – China’s Xiaomi said on April 1 that it was actively cooperating with police after a fatal accident involving a SU7 electric vehicle (EV) on March 29 and it had handed over driving and system data to the authorities.
Xiaomi did not immediately confirm the number of casualties but local media reported that three people died in the accident.
Xiaomi’s initial information showed the car was in the Navigate on Autopilot intelligent-assisted driving mode before the accident and was moving at 116kmh.
A driver inside the car took over and tried to slow it down but then collided with a cement pole at a speed of 97kmh, Xiaomi said.
Its initial report showed that the car’s advanced driver assistance function had been engaged less than 20 minutes before the crash, with alerts being raised over the driver not holding on to the steering wheel. The crash occurred just seconds after a warning was sent about obstacles in the road and the driver retook control of the wheel.
The police arrived at the scene immediately and are investigating the accident, which occurred on an expressway in China on March 29, Xiaomi said in a post on its Weibo account. Chinese media outlets reported that the accident occurred in the Anhui province.
The EV was engulfed in flames after impact, with parts of the car like the steel chassis remaining in the aftermath, according to social media posts and videos.
Xiaomi began manufacturing EVs in 2024 with the launch of the SU7 sedan after selling smartphones, household appliances and smart gadgets for most of its 15-year history. It has had instant success with its move into EVs, last month raising its 2025 sales target to 350,000 units.
The company has two versions of smart driving systems on its SU7 EVs.
The higher-end LiDAR-mounted version, as opposed to the pure vision version, enables urban navigation features such as collision avoidance and special vehicle recognition.
Xiaomi said the car involved in the accident was a so-called standard version of the SU7, which has the less-advanced smart driving technology without LiDAR. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
Join ST’s Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
