Xiaomi Has a Luxury SUV for $31,000 That All Western Brands Should Fear
Xiaomi Has a Luxury SUV for $31,000 That All Western Brands Should Fear. Earlier this month, I asked a Western luxury auto CEO what he thought about Xiaomi Auto.
What happened
Other Chinese brands are playing the same tactic in Europe, such as XPeng and BYD, but the big one incoming is Xiaomi Auto, set to launch in Europe in 2027, despite only making its first EV in 2024. Just stop for a minute and compare what you've just read with the sorts of interior innovations Western brands deliver on flagship models these days. The SkyNomad—with heated floors, a projector, a pop-up roof, a fridge, swiveling seats, and over 1,000 miles of range—is a “luxury” ride that undercuts Range Rovers by tens of thousands of dollars.
But Chinese carmakers know full well how much we love our chunky SUVs, so they are focusing their efforts to lure the Western world away from familiar marques. Indeed, Xiaomi has just played its hand in this particular game, revealing the remaining details earlier this month in Beijing—including the all-important pricing—of its coming SkyNomad SUVs. Bentley and Range Rover may well have revealed their flagship electric SUVs, but both will be mightily worried about just how many scalps Xiaomi Auto's SkyNomad SUVs will take from them.
Sedan to SUVThe new Xiaomi Auto SkyNomad N70 is a five-seat, extended-range EV that has better technology than a Range Rover at half the price of a Velar.
The wider picture
Courtesy of XiaomiTrucks and SUVs represent more than 80 percent of new vehicle sales in America these days. Nicknamed the “Temu Range Rover,” it comes in both gas and hybrid flavors, and the company liberally uses the word “luxury” in its marketing, yet the vehicle costs just £29,210 (a little over $39,000). An amazing optional extra for the SkyNomad is Xiaomi's version of in-brand car-to-car communications. Essentially, it's a walkie-talkie that runs on cellular network coverage rather than short-range radio, so it's marketed as having “unlimited range” and looks very similar to tech Xiaomi already ships in its phones.
CommentsBack to topJoin the discussionCommentsBack to topYou Might Also LikeIn your inbox: WIRED's most ambitious, future-defining storiesAI slop backlash is actually having an impactBig Story: The cop who took on FlockThe rise of the 1am job interviewWatch: I stole a car by hacking this hidden deviceJeremy White is senior innovation editor at WIRED, overseeing gear coverage, with a focus on EVs and luxury. ByKali Hays and Laura Cress, Technology reportersPublished15 September 2026Updated 16 September 2026The boss of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI says people should have more faith in AI firms to keep the tech safe, amid rising public concerns about the risks.
"The world should trust that we are going to do the right thing because it's the right thing and we feel the magnitude of this," Sam Altman said on Tuesday during a conference in San Francisco. Trump himself has criticised calls for more guardrails on the fast-moving technology, calling fears about AI's safety a "hoax".
What has been reported
Some political figures have pushed back against the view that AI firms should be able to self-regulate. Figure caption, OpenAI boss: 'The world is right to be afraid'Nvidia boss Jensen Huang said at the same conference on Tuesday that AI firms should decide if new versions of the technology should be released – and not be managed by outside forces. "We don't need new laws or regulations," he said, adding there should not be a "false choice" between the speed of innovation and the safety of AI products.
Huang also argued safety is an "engineering problem" and companies should "take a pause" if they lose confidence in a product. Why doomsday warnings are not the only threat to the AI juggernautPublished3 days agoTrump says AI safety fears a 'hoax' as he rejects calls for greater safeguardsPublished4 days agoSome industry figures have argued resurgent AI fears were overblown and were being jumped on to generate hype for the industry. During the conference, Altman addressed a crowd of hundreds of business people, telling them they should use AI tools to aid in their work, but also needed them in order to protect their businesses from potentially AI-enabled cyber attacks.
Skip to main contentSave this storySave this storyIf there's one thing that can unite the world in these AI-troubled times, it's everyone's love of SUVs. For decades, the SUV has been the savior of the car world.
What happens next
Accounting for nearly half of all new sales worldwide, this is by some margin the largest segment in the global auto industry. Ford doesn't even sell a traditional sedan in the US now. About a third of all Chinese autos are in this form, compared with less than half that for the US. Marc McGrath, US CEO of the automotive manufacturer Schaeffler Group, tells WIRED that one of the main reasons the company is developing its own solid-state batteries is to properly electrify the power-hungry trucks and SUVs Americans so dearly love.
The shocking success of the Jaecoo 7 is a prime example of SUV supremacy. This Chinese-made ride has enjoyed a staggeringly meteoric rise in the UK, going from an unknown newcomer in 2025 to now being one of the country’s best-selling new cars. My local Nissan dealer has swiftly dumped the Japanese brand and is now an official Jaecoo dealer, offering not just the 7, but the Jaecoo 5 and 8.
The report has been compiled by Press Orb using information reported across wired.com, marketwatch.com, bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.