The race to develop vehicles capable of driving themselves has just added a new chapter. Xiaomi surprised the automotive industry by demonstrating that its autonomous driving technology can tackle one of the most demanding circuits on the planet without human help.

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The protagonist was a version of the Xiaomi YU7 GT, a high-performance electric SUV that managed to complete a full lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife without anyone touching the wheel. Beyond the brand obtained, the true impact is in what this advance represents for the future of mobility.

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A trip to the history books

The vehicle covered the 20.8 kilometers of the legendary German track in 10 minutes and 29.483 seconds. This is a record that allowed the model to become the first autonomous car to officially complete the route under the timing conditions of the circuit.

The test was carried out with a unit equipped with the Track Package and the artificial intelligence system developed by Xiaomi. During the entire lap, the software was responsible for accelerating, braking and steering the vehicle without human intervention.

The achievement was so relevant that the Nürburgring decided to add a new category to its official records dedicated to electric vehicles with autonomous driving.

The challenge of dominating the “Green Hell”

Talking about the Nürburgring is talking about one of the biggest challenges for any car. The circuit has 73 curves, significant elevation changes and areas where asphalt conditions can vary constantly.

For this reason, manufacturers from all over the world use this track as a laboratory to test their most advanced developments. Completing a lap is already complicated, doing it without a driver raises the level of difficulty to another dimension.

During the tour, the system had to interpret information in real time and react to each situation as an experienced pilot would.

Artificial intelligence takes center stage

According to Xiaomi, much of the success is due to its new technological architecture called Xiaomi XLA and the MiMo-Embodied artificial intelligence model.

The platform is designed to analyze multiple variables at the same time. These include the grip of the asphalt, speed, lateral forces, the dynamic behavior of the vehicle and the general conditions of the road.

The idea is that the system not only responds to pre-programmed situations, but can also interpret complex scenarios and make decisions autonomously.

Supercar power

The YU7 GT is not a conventional vehicle either. The electric SUV develops around 990 horsepower, a figure typical of very high-performance models.

However, during the record lap the artificial intelligence did not seek to squeeze out all the mechanical potential. The priority was to maintain stability and minimize risks.

The published data shows that the vehicle reached a maximum speed of close to 211 kilometers per hour. It is a considerable figure, although lower than the 298 kilometers per hour recorded by the same model when driven by a professional pilot.