► Xiaomi comes to Gran Turismo
► Announcement made during GT finals in London
► First the SU7 Ultra, then a concept
The Xiaomi SU7 hasn’t come to Europe just yet, but those interested in the EV will now at least be able to give it a ‘virtual’ test drive. That’s because today, Xiaomi and Gran Turismo have announced a partnership that will see the brand’s automotive products available to drive in the popular racing simulator.
Things will kick off with the SU7 Ultra, the high-powered version of its popular SU7 Model 3-rival, but there’s more in the pipeline. The YU7 SUV will likely follow in time, but the brand has already confirmed its plans to release a Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo concept vehicle.
In layman’s terms, a Vision Gran Turismo concept is essentially a concept car that exists primarily in the virtual world – and exclusively for use in the Gran Turismo series of games. It’s been an attractive proposition for car brands too: Xiaomi follows the likes of Mercedes, Citroen, Porsche, Ferrari and others in creating one.
‘Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra Prototype has shattered conventional performance benchmarks at the Nürburgring,’ said Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi (who has raced at the Green Hell himself). ‘Witnessing these achievements, I am deeply moved by Xiaomi’s courage, curiosity, passion, and relentless dedication to realizing such milestones. This spirit resonates profoundly with Gran Turismo and Polyphony Digital’s philosophy.’
Why are they doing this?
Gran Turismo remains the most popular, storied racing game franchise of all time, and being included in it can be seen as a fast track into car culture, as well as the minds and dreams of car enthusiasts. As this writer knows, many automotive fans are created not just from car shows but from car games. With this move then, Xiaomi is aiming to put itself on the car culture map.
‘Gran Turismo’s worldwide reputation for uncompromising quality and experience makes us particularly honoured to have Xiaomi SU7 Ultra included,’ said Lei Jun, Xiaomi Group founder, chairman, and CEO. ‘We look forward to introducing more Gran Turismo players and automotive enthusiasts to the capabilities of high-performance smart EVs like ours.’
Xiaomi automotive’s plan to go worldwide has begun.