Rejoice, touchscreen enthusiasts and critics: We no longer need to put up with one another. The Xiaomi SU7, which will soon be available in China, has two possible outcomes. Xiaomi would gladly offer you a user-installed row of hard keys and switches for the SU7 if you’re not happy with a totally touch-only interface. It’s really challenging to read the Xiaomi SU7. Its external design seems to have been influenced by the Porsche Taycan a little too much. However, the car’s interior and mechanics are a touch more cutting edge than it first appears.
Xiaomi’s Innovative Modular Interior Design: Revolutionizing Car Connectivity
The inside of the car is modular and connects to the user’s digital life in ways that we haven’t seen in a car before. Similar to how CarPlay allows for seamless integration, Xiaomi-branded phones, and gadgets may also be used in cars. However, Xiaomi goes one step further by offering add-on hardware elements that improve comfort or expand functionality.
The center screen is modular, as Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said when he made his first announcement for the SU7. The screen has four sides with magnetic (and physically pin-locked) connection points, however it will ship unattached. Xiaomi is first showcasing a docking unit, which includes a volume knob and a pair of piano keys. It installs precisely at the screen’s bottom border. According to Jun’s presentation, the SU7 may eventually be able to purchase additional add-ons.
For a lot of drivers, this seems like the best of both worlds. Huge touchscreens are common in the Chinese EV market since many of them equate physical hard buttons with vintage automobiles. Nonetheless, there are other reasons to detest an interface that simply uses a touchscreen. It appears that Xiaomi’s approach will provide drivers an option in the issue without sacrificing interior style. The button row snaps in like a faceplate for a vehicle CD player from the 2000s.
The docking station from Xiaomi is a remarkably straightforward answer to the button vs. buttonless argument. Of course, certain touchscreen-only interfaces such as the Ctrl+bar have been solved aftermarket, but in most cases, a manufacturer-supported solution is better. I hope other manufacturers choose to take a cue from Xiaomi and provide more possibilities for physical customization when it comes to car interfaces.
Xiaomi’s Electric Car Debut: The SU7 Enters the Market
Given that the SU7 electric car will officially launch at the end of this month, Xiaomi anticipates starting deliveries of the vehicle fairly soon. The smartphone giant declared aspirations to produce its own electric car barely three years ago, and now it has made its formal debut. The automobile is viewed as a direct competitor to the Porsche Taycan and was initially unveiled on December 28, 2023, during the company’s first EV technology display. At the Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona, the business just unveiled the EV.
Customers reportedly have the ability to order the Xiaomi SU7, while the official price has not yet been disclosed. The EV is expected to cost between CNY 250,000 and CNY 370,000, or between RM163,338 and RM241,740, far less than the Porsche Taycan.