A copycat of the Xiaomi SU7 sedan was spotted in China. The license plate tells us the EV’s name is Yunlei, and the badge reveals the manufacturer is Shandong Yanlu New Energy.
Despite Xiaomi SU7 (see specs) being a sedan, its clone is a compact SUV. Xiaomi will unveil its first SUV early next year, so Yunlei is way ahead of its time. Also, Yanlu’s designer did a pretty good job, as the front face, headlights, and hood shape are quite accurate, as is Xiaomi’s Blue Bay signature color.
Xiaomi SU7 clone belongs to the category of low-speed electric vehicles (LSEVs). LSEVs are small, affordable electric cars with limited speed and range, mainly used for short city trips and popular for their low cost and minimal regulations. Old people mainly used them and were often copycats of expensive legacy cars. Their popularity culminated a few years ago. However, Yunlei EV proves that LSEVs are not yet done in China.
Yunlei EV is manufactured in Gaotang County in Shandong province, about four hours south of Beijing, where Shandong Yanlu New Energy is based. “Our company takes independent research and development as the core value and adheres to the business philosophy of environmental protection,” the company, which focused mainly on producing electric tricycles, claims.
Chinese social media users nicknamed Yunlai a Redmi SU7, referring to Xiaomi’s low-cost smartphone series.
LSEVs were famous in China for providing cheap copies of famous vehicles. You could, for example, buy an electric Bodo BD10, a replica of the Hummer H2, Buggati Chiron, or Volkswagen UP! clones. The price was usually no more than 30,000 yuan (4,200 USD). The cars had only a few horsepower.
Xiaomi SU7 was launched on March 28 in China. CEO Lei Jun said it will deliver 100,000 units by the end of November, exceeding the original target. The new target is 120,000 units delivered by the end of the year.
On October 29, Xiaomi will unveil the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra with 1526 hp and CATL’s Qilin 2.0 battery. Preorders have already started, and the price is expected to be 800,000 yuan (112,000 USD).
