Drama Engulfs Chinese Super Sedan Over $6K Carbon Fiber Hood With Fake Air Ducts

The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra’s Cinderella arc may be coming to a close. Over the past year, we’ve seen a whole lot of hype for the 1,500-plus-horsepower, all-electric SU7 supersedan. But after some recent, high-profile controversies, owners are starting to turn on the Beijing-based consumer electronics outfit and its freshman performance model. Many are even demanding full refunds on the basis of unfulfilled promises and bait-and-switch tactics.

The latest chapter in the Xiaomi saga stems from the SU7 Ultra’s elaborately sculpted (and optional) hood. Originally, the company allegedly advertised it as a functional component of the car’s elaborate aerodynamic and cooling systems, but it turns out it’s nothing more than fancy decoration. That’s a bummer, certainly, but if the car functions without the added heat management, why get all riled up over it? Well, it might have something to do with the fact that Xiaomi is still charging nearly $6,000 for the upgrade.

According to Car News China, Xiaomi issued an official apology last week, acknowledging that the hood does not perform the way the company initially suggested. Xiaomi says it does provide “partial airflow guidance and auxiliary front compartment cooling,” however, the outlet reports that automotive bloggers in China have been unable to detect any air flow through the hood openings in their own testing.

If this were the SU7’s only glaring issue, it probably wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy, but just last week, multiple outlets reported that the company pushed out a software update which retroactively slashed the performance car’s power output by more than a third for street driving, allegedly locking the performance upgrade behind a built-in driving test.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Xiaomi said it was going to do exactly that. Customers who wanted to unlock the additional 600-plus horsepower disabled by the update would have to complete a “qualifying mode lap time assessment” at a race track approved by Xiaomi.

And if the cars had shipped with “just” 900 horsepower and the option to unlock more, customers may have been willing to stomach that approach. But that’s not what happened. Instead, SU7 Ultras were delivered to customers with the full power unlocked, and had it taken away without warning. Predictably, Xiaomi has since rolled back the updated and retreated from its track testing requirement.

But between the power switcheroo and expensive but nonfunctional components, customers are beginning to clamor for refunds. So far, Xiaomi has offered to meet them in the middle, offering cash back for customers who bought the upgraded hood—and giving customers whose cars haven’t been delivered yet the option of swapping to the standard aluminum version. But at this point, the company’s reputation may be cooked, especially outside of its home market.

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