Did autopilot fail? Xiaomi SU7 crash kills three, founder pledges full cooperation

A fatal crash of a Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan killed three people on March 29. The high-speed crash has emerged as the first major accident connected to Xiaomi's recently launched EV, raising suspicions about the vehicle's autonomous driving system.

According to a report by Reuters, the SU7 was on Autopilot mode when it crashed and was going at a speed of 116 kph (72 mph). The driver tried to regain control despite an obstacle alert presented by the system and attempted to slow down. Unfortunately, the car still crashed into a cement pole traveling at 97 kph (60 mph), with reports saying that it caught fire on impact. Early reports also indicated that the car key did not unlock the doors, further raising safety issues.

After the fatal accident, Xiaomi founder Lei Jun wrote on the social media platform, Weibo, to mourn and reassure the public of the transparency of the company. In his message, Lei stated that he was "heavy-hearted" and promised complete cooperation with the current police investigation.

"At this moment, I think I shouldn't wait any longer," Lei said, stressing that Xiaomi would not shirk its responsibility and would actively deal with the issues of the victims' families and the people."

Safety features and investigation

Xiaomi subsequently confirmed that the SU7 standard version, the car that was involved in the crash, did come with collision warning and emergency braking. Xiaomi, however, admitted that the system is not yet able to detect smaller obstacles such as cones, stones, or animals.

While Xiaomi confirmed the post-crash fire, it is not known if the doors of the vehicle were functional at the time of the crash since the company has not yet regained access to the car for additional analysis.

The incident has spurred significant concern about Xiaomi's EV technology, particularly with its autonomous driving capabilities. Investors reacted poorly, resulting in a 5.5 per cent decline in Xiaomi's stock, which lagged the Hang Seng Tech index.

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