After Embarrassing The Rimac Nevera At The ‘Ring, Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra Proves It’s A Better Drift Car, Too

Priced at around 529,900 yuan (approximately $74,000), the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra makes the Rimac Nevera’s $2.2-2.5 million price tag look absolutely bonkers.

Yet, the SU7 Ultra recently set the fastest production electric vehicle (EV) record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a lap time of 7m 04.95s, becoming the fastest mass-produced electric vehicle and fastest road-legal four-door EV.

It surpassed the previous electric vehicle record held by the Rimac Nevera (7:05.298) and beat the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT by 2.5 seconds… on its first go. It’s crazy when you think that the Nevera is thirty times the price.

The Power To Price Ratio Is Unreal

Traditionally known for their smartphones, the Chinese company has branched out into virtually every type of electronic device imaginable. The latest segment they’re determined to crack is the EV market, and they’re certainly going the right way about it so far.

The SU7 Ultra boasts an output of over 1,500 horsepower, 1,300 ft-lb of torque, and a 359.71 km/h (224 mph) top speed – for just seventy-four thousand dollars!

To put things in perspective, the $3,850,000 Bugatti Chiron produces similar horsepower with “just” 1,180 ft-lb of torque.

Its insane performance comes from a tri-motor setup featuring two HyperEngine V8s motors (429 hp each with 468 ft-lb torque each) and one HyperEngine V6s motor (291 hp with 295 ft-lb torque).

The result? Acceleration figures that include 0-100 km/h in 1.98 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 5.96 seconds, 0-300 km/h in ~15 seconds, and quarter-mile (~400 m) in 9.23 seconds. Once you’ve used up the juice, it charges 10-80% in just 11 minutes at a 490 kW (5.2 C) charge rate.

It’s crazy how fast the EV market is developing, and it’s putting anything with a combustion engine (regardless of price tag) to shame.

But while this all sounds great when it comes to straight-line acceleration and fast lap times. I mean, we all know EVs suck at drifting, right?

Well, it seems it’s got another trick up its sleeve. And yes, we’re pretty shocked.

It’s Also Ridiculously Good At Getting Sideways

Xiaomi took the SU7 Ultra to the (closed, of course) streets of Qionghai on China’s Hainan Island and put Chinese pro drifter Ye Zhicheng behind the wheel.

Ye Zhicheng, typically known for piloting a Nissan Cefiro (A31) in Formula DRIFT Japan, stunned the drifting world by showing off its sideways potential.

In a Gymkhana-style viral video that would make Ken Block proud, they showcased the true potential of its drifting abilities.

Although (like most rapid EVs) the SU7 Ultra is all-wheel-drive, its electronically controlled tri-motor layout means it can instantly shift its ridiculous power distribution on demand. This means it can bias nearly all its power to the rear wheels when needed.

Unlike the traditional ‘old-school’ AWD systems that split power through fixed mechanical ratios, these electric motors can shift power near-instantly.

Having two separate 570 hp motors at the back allows the system to independently control the left and right rear wheels, enabling torque vectoring, which dynamically adjusts the torque distribution.

It delivers different power levels to each side by adjusting torque distribution up to 500 times per second, with torque ramping from 0% to 90% in just 15 milliseconds.

Rather than using a traditional limited-slip (or welded) differential, the system functions like an infinitely variable electronic differential, capable of instantly locking, unlocking, or biasing power in any ratio needed.

At the same time, the dual-chamber air suspension provides real-time adjustment of chassis dynamics. The system can stiffen the rear while softening the front, encouraging oversteer.

Interestingly, it could convince us that it’s fully rear-wheel-drive in some moments, comfortably holding angle on the wheels through long, sweeping turns.

Then, it’s very clearly AWD, with smoke pouring out of all four wheels.

It doesn’t struggle with proximity, either. Going from executing millimeter-perfect wall runs, to drifting through two limos, then tandeming on the touge with a Subaru BRZ.

Watch the full video here to see why we’re so impressed:

Although it’s not the most lightweight platform, the SU7 Ultra’s 2,360kg weight does help provide momentum, and the incredible torque vectoring makes it much more capable in the twisties than you’d expect.

To put the weight in perspective, it’s nearly 2.5 times the weight of Daigo Saito’s comp-spec JZX100, which weighed just 1,000kg. Even this LS-swapped Porsche Cayenne weighs just 1,800kg.

We’re guessing it’s not exactly bone stock given the hydro and bucket seat, but we’re unsure exactly how tuned it is.

It’s certainly a far cry from what we’re used to seeing with high-spec drift cars, and it goes to show how technology’s shifting the norms.

If you’ve got a spare $74k burning a hole in your pocket and you’re ready to hit the buy button, we’ve got some unfortunate news…

You can’t buy the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra in the US. For now, the car remains exclusive to the Chinese market with no official plans to reach American shores.

Even if you could, you can expect to pay 247.5% of its current price once you’ve factored in multiple tariff layers.

Combined with shipping, compliance modifications, and import handling costs, the final US landing price would likely exceed $280,000-300,000. That’s, uhh, Honda Integra money. Still a bargain compared to the Rimac Nevera, admittedly!

However, Xiaomi does have plans to expand globally, just not yet to the U.S. (Any guesses why?)

They expect to deliver SUVs and sedans to markets such as Europe around 2027. For Americans, there is still some hope, though.

Drift EVs Are Becoming A ‘Thing’, Even In The States

Although you won’t be getting your hands on the SU7 Ultra, that doesn’t mean America’s out of the EV drift game.

Over in Florida, Adam LZ‘s crew at DriftHQ set out to build the ultimate EV drift car. Working alongside Wisefab, they took a bone-stock Tesla Model 3 and transformed it into a track-ready drifter.

No motor swaps or RWD conversion. Just handling upgrades, a Wisefab angle kit, weight improvements, some other goodies, along with a fair bit of creativity. The stock dual-motor system stayed exactly as it was.

The early results shocked even the pros. Adam LZ, Collete Davis, and the DriftHQ team raved about how impressive it felt. “It just wants to go sideways,” Collete said, grinning after a few laps. Or, as Adam put it, “it’s really freaking good.”

After putting it through its paces at the LZ compound, they decided to take things further.

And who better to put it to the ultimate test than Formula DRIFT legend Chelsea DeNofa?

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t hold back, as you can see in this video.

“I’m gonna send this thing to the f**king moon,” he declared, and he delivered. Within a few laps, he was throwing full-on backward entries… in a Tesla!

“It’s super easy to throw into a backie,” he admitted.

But unlike the Xiaomi, there was one key weakness – top-end power. Above 60 mph, the stock setup began to fade. Chelsea’s idea? “A dual-motor rear setup would be sick.”

Yep – you guessed it – the same setup found in the SU7 Ultra.

Still, it’s worth remembering that the Tesla was running completely stock power, and is a relatively affordable and increasingly common platform. Considering this, it performed shockingly well.

While it’s not about to start tearing up the Formula DRIFT grid just yet, there’s serious potential here for those of you considering a Tesla who also enjoy a bit of sideways action.

With EV depreciation climbing and aftermarket parts becoming more available, we might be witnessing the start of a new era where silent, torque-rich drift cars are as common in the pits as V8s once were.

You might not hear them coming… but it seems they’re coming!