SkyNomad: Xiaomi launches SUV series offering space and reconfigurable interiors

BEIJING, July 30: China’s Xiaomi launched an SUV series dubbed SkyNomad on Thursday, expanding its EV lineup into the large-family ​SUV segment, as it seeks to boost sales in the ‌country’s ultra-competitive auto market ahead of a planned European launch next year.

With the SkyNomad, Xiaomi is hoping to boost vehicle deliveries after first-half EV sales reached only about one ​third of its annual target, and as consumer demand softens in ​the world’s largest car market amid a sluggish economy.

Xiaomi, which ⁠also makes smartphones and home appliances, has positioned SkyNomad as an “intelligent, reconfigurable, ​large-space SUV”, contrasting it with the SU7 sedan and YU7 SUV series ​that focus on driving dynamics.

For Xiaomi, whose EV business has become an increasingly important source of revenue over the last two years, SkyNomad represents a push into China’s family ​SUV market.

GASOLINE ENGINE HELPS EXTEND RANGE

The flagship N90 Max, a seven-seat SUV ​that Xiaomi describes as “a house you can move”, combines a 76-kilowatt-hour battery with a 1.5-liter ‌turbocharged ⁠range extender and a 60-liter fuel tank.

Extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs, are driven primarily by electric motors and use a gasoline engine as an onboard generator to recharge the battery or sustain electricity supply when needed.

“Six seats ​are not enough for ​families … If we ⁠compare a vehicle to a house, we can freely arrange our space and decorate,” Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun ​said at its launch event.

Xiaomi said the N90 Max, priced ​at 299,900 ⁠yuan ($44,397), has a combined range of up to 1,705 km (1,059 miles).

The SkyNomad line is built on Xiaomi’s new Kunlun architecture, which the company says was ⁠developed specifically ​for larger SUVs with adaptable cabins.

Xiaomi will ​take pre-orders starting from Thursday and bring the vehicles to market in September, Lei said.