Xiaomi SU7 Serious Accident Caused 3 Deaths Xiaomi's Darkest Moment Has Arrived
Xiaomi SU7 was involved in a serious accident that killed 3 people. What happened, Xiaomi's response, and what it means for the company's darkest moment yet.
- Louis
- 2 min read
- Affiliate Disclosure
China’s EV indursty is still developing fast after years. Xiaomi joint the competition a little bit late, but the first and the most popular EV model SU7 has shown its strong competivity. Most of Chinese had a positive expection on EV future, while the Xiaomi SU7’s serious accident on March 29th caused 3 deaths, and it has become a hit on Chinese EV indurstry.
Before this incident, almost every EV maker in China emphasized its advanced driving assistance system, but the safety risks associated with this feature were briefly mentioned. This caused ignorance among Chinese EV users.
In fact, currently only a few car companies have L4 autonomous driving level, and there are regional restrictions. Most car companies adopt L2/L3 level autonomous driving, which can only achieve limited assisted driving and requires the driver to take over the vehicle at any time. However, excessive promotion by car companies and exaggeration on the internet have made many car owners overly confident in autonomous driving technology, playing with their phones or even sleeping while driving.
At present, Xiaomi has released some existing data and is still cooperating with the police to investigate the cause of the accident. Although Xiaomi has stated that it will handle the situation in the most open and transparent manner, doubts from the families of the victims on the internet, including why the Xiaomi SU7 only prompted the driver to take over the vehicle a few seconds before the accident, and why it only slightly slowed down after detecting obstacles, have attracted widespread attention and discussion on the Chinese internet. Due to the fierce competition in the Chinese EV market, other car companies will undoubtedly rely on this accident to spread unfavorable comments about Xiaomi, thereby undermining the strong momentum of Xiaomi EV.
This accident raises broader questions about autonomous driving safety — a topic explored in our articles on how V2X communication could make autonomous driving safer and the current status of Tesla’s Autopark technology. For more on Xiaomi SU7’s driving features, see the OTA 1.3.0 update that added city navigation assist and smart parking.
It is forseeable that, sales on Xiaomi EV and even the EV cars from other companies will decline in this pirod of time. Promotions from Chinese EV makers will undoubtedly be more cautious. Let’s patiently wait for the final investigation results.
