After EV incidents in China, Xiaomi forms new safety advisory committee

Chinese electric vehicle maker Xiaomi said on Friday it will set up an advisory committee to review vehicle safety after facing criticism over recent accidents. Hou Jinglei, head of Xiaomi’s EV safety department, said during a livestream from the company’s Beijing factory that Xiaomi will also hold regular meetings with car owners, media and experts to gather suggestions on vehicle safety. The first session is planned for the first half of this year.

Xiaomi said its EV division has more than 3,500 safety staff, including an internal investigation centre to examine accidents. The move follows reports on two crashes involving the SU7 sedan. Chinese media outlet Caixin, citing a forensic report, said a fatal October crash occurred after the car collided with another vehicle and lost power, leaving the doors inoperable and the driver trapped in a fire. News provider Yicai, which also cited the forensic findings, urged Xiaomi on Friday to recall all first-generation SU7 vehicles to address door handle risks.

Xiaomi did not respond to requests for comment on the reports. Official accounts of the two accidents have not been released. An earlier crash involving an SU7 in driving assistance mode that killed three people remains under investigation. In September, Xiaomi issued a software update for more than 115,000 SU7 cars over assisted driving issues. The company has stopped producing the first-generation SU7 and plans to launch an upgraded version in April with a backup power supply for the doors.

Deliveries of the SU7, positioned as a rival to Tesla’s Model 3, had surpassed 381,000 units as of February. The accidents have prompted tighter rules on marketing and safety standards for assisted driving in China. Regulators have also decided to phase out hidden door handles from 2027 and are considering limits on EV acceleration.