by Shen Xiaoge

A Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle was involved in a fatal accident on the Deshang Expressway in eastern China’s Anhui province on the night of March 29, leaving three female university students dead, according to China News Weekly. Authorities in Tongling city said a special investigation team has been set up, and the case remains under investigation.

Xiaomi issued a statement on Tuesday detailing the incident, which involved its recently launched SU7 Standard model. The company said the vehicle was operating in NOA (Navigation on Autopilot) mode at a speed of 116km/h before the accident.

According to Xiaomi, the road section had been partially closed for construction, forcing traffic to divert into the opposite lane. The car detected an obstacle and began to slow down, issuing an alert. The driver then took over, continued to decelerate, and steered the vehicle, which eventually collided with a concrete barrier at an estimated speed of 97km/h.

Xiaomi said it contacted the car owner shortly after the crash and confirmed the driver was not the registered owner. Emergency calls to police and ambulance services were placed immediately, and local police arrived on the scene soon after.

A Xiaomi investigation team traveled to Tongling on March 30 to assist police with data recovery and analysis. The company said it submitted system logs and driving data to authorities on March 31 and pledged to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

In response to concerns about whether the car doors could be opened after the crash, a Xiaomi spokesperson said all four doors of the SU7 are equipped with mechanical emergency release handles beneath the interior storage panels, which remain functional even if the car loses power.

The SU7, Xiaomi’s debut electric vehicle, was officially launched in March 2024 with three variants – Standard, Pro, and Max – priced between 215,900 yuan and 299,900 yuan (US$29,800 to US$41,400). The company reported more than 29,000 deliveries this March.