The pictures don't reveal much other than the fact this EV sedan has a coupe-like roofline as well as a low-slung profile. Xiaomi is rumoured to working on two EV cars, and the one spotted here is believed to be the Modena.
The photos come from Inner Mongolia, which offers perfect
conditions for extreme weather testing - snow and blistering cold all day and
night long. The company is most likely looking at the battery performance in
cold conditions and working on vehicle handling in the snow. We just talked
about how the cold weather affects electric car range.
According to one Chinese blogger, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun himself
has joined the test drivers and is taking part in the winter testing in
Mongolia. It wouldn’t be a much of a surprise, Jun is not only a huge car fan
but the Modena project is close to his heart and he likes to pay close
attention to the progress.
Xiaomi decided to expand into automotive markets only in September 2021. The company committed nearly $1.5 billion to this project and despite many regulatory delays and development issues, the project seems to be progressing well. The official target for production start is the first half of 2024.
Initially the company was using BYD Han cars as test mules
for its autonomous driving software assessment. The first Xiaomi vehicles were
spotted only recently on the roads across China and that’s when the codename
Modena popped up as well.
As it is the case with most electric sedans, the Xiaomi
Modena has a very aerodynamic shape with a long hood and swooping roofline
dropping gently towards the back. There are the ubiquitous retractable door
handles and LiDAR sensors on the roof.
According to Chinese media, the Xiaomi Modena will be
available in three versions. The two entry models will use BYD LFP ”blade”
batteries, while the top trim will get the latest CATL Qilin battery pack.
Infotainment will be handled by the latest Qualcomm’s 8295 chips which offer 30
TOPS of NPU computing power.
As for pricing, Xiaomi is being rather modest with its
targets as the car is reportedly going to cost between $38,350 and $51,650.
That’s right in the middle of the EV price range in China and it will make the
Modena a great value offering. Xiaomi is reportedly already working on its
second vehicle, codenamed Lemans, which is planned to go on sale in 2025.