Instagram user “rollendereporter” posted a photo today, claiming that he “accidentally discovered that the Xiaomi team is shooting promotional images for their ‘Autonomous Driving Challenge Nürburgring’ lap record.”
According to the photos he released, a Xiaomi YU7 GT prototype is parked next to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with the caption “Xiaomi is about to announce the official Nürburgring lap time of its ‘autonomous driving prototype.’ Can you see the time on it?”
Of course, this is just the user’s interpretation. Xiaomi has not officially responded to any information regarding the YU7 GT’s autonomous driving challenge at the Nürburgring.
As shown in the picture, the YU7 GT in the photo has the number “12” painted on its side, and there is a sign next to it that reads “Nordschleife Autonomous Driving Prototype – Nürburgring Official Lap Time”, indicating that this is an autonomous driving prototype vehicle specifically designed for testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
In response to comments from netizens, rollendereporter hinted that the lap times of the autonomous vehicle prototype might be significantly slower than those achieved by Ren Zhoucan.
Less than a month ago, on May 21st, Xiaomi officially released its high-performance SUV—the YU7 GT. This vehicle is equipped with Xiaomi’s Super Motor V8s EVO, a dual-motor system with a combined maximum power of 738kW, achieving 0-100km/h acceleration in just 2.92 seconds.
On the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the YU7 GT equipped with the Track Pro Package achieved an officially certified lap time of 7 minutes and 22.755 seconds, becoming the fastest lap record for a production SUV on the track.
Tech Free Press previously reported that during official testing on May 19, 2026, the YU7 GT, driven by Xiaomi’s chief test driver Ren Zhoucan, broke the then-Nürburgring Nordschleife SUV lap record with a time of 7 minutes and 34.931 seconds. Xiaomi Auto has also publicly stated that its continuous testing on the Nürburgring is not only aimed at breaking lap time records, but also uses this track as a core verification platform under extreme conditions.
Further Reading
On May 19, 2026, Xiaomi Auto announced that the YU7 GT had broken the Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record for the fastest SUV with a time of 7 minutes and 34.931 seconds. The record was set by Ren Zhoucan, Xiaomi Auto’s chief test driver.
Xiaomi Auto officially explained that the main purpose of the YU7 GT’s participation in the Nürburgring Nordschleife was to verify the vehicle’s stability under various extreme conditions and refine its cornering performance, rather than simply pursuing lap times.
In October 2025, automotive media CarBuzz exposed spy photos of the YU7 GT undergoing testing at the Nürburgring, speculating that it might be based on the three-motor platform of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, with a power output expected to reach 1500 horsepower.
The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra prototype set a lap time of 6 minutes 46.874 seconds at the Nürburgring in October 2024, ranking fourth in the prototype category, driven by David Pittard.
