Lap records have been falling like dominoes at the Nürburgring this year. Porsche and Ford have been dancing around the 6:40 mark, leaving behind the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X. In addition, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 beat the Honda Civic Type R’s record for front-wheel-drive vehicles.
Now, China’s Xiaomi YU7 GT electric SUV with the available Track Package has achieved a very different feat around the famous course. It completed a fairly high-speed lap, but with one notable caveat. There was nobody behind the wheel. The performance SUV ran the Green Hell autonomously, marking the first official recorded time for a self-driving model.
Watch An Autonomous SUV Lap The ‘Ring
xiaomi yu7 gt autonomous nurburgring record screenshotNurburgring / YouTube
The YU7 GT took 10 minutes 29.483 seconds to do a circuit of the Nordschleife. For context, Jörg Bergmeister hustled the Manthey-equipped 911 GT3 RS around the course in 6:45.389, and the GTI Edition 50’s front-drive record was 7:44.523. So yeah, it’s a little off-pace.
If you’re familiar with other Nürburgring record videos, watching this one is fascinating. First, it’s weird to see a vehicle on the famous track with nobody behind the wheel. Also, the speeds are far lower than we usually see. The vehicle reaches a given speed on various portions of the ‘Ring, rather than going all out. For example, the YU7 maintains 87 mph and 93 mph in sections where higher velocities are clearly possible. On the final Döttinger Höhe straightaway, the machine tops out at 130 mph.
Xiaomi has been spending quite a bit of time at the Nordschleife. In April 2026, Vincent Radermecker took a YU7 GT with the Track Package around the track in 7:22.755 (watch below), setting a new track record for a production electric SUV, van, or pickup. In 2025, the automaker’s SU7 Ultra went around the ‘Ring in a blistering 7:04.957.
Understanding The YU7
Xiaomi YU7 SUVXiaomi
The YU7 GT is the performance version of the brand’s high-end electric SUV. It features front and rear electric motors producing a total of 989 horsepower, allowing the model to hit 62 mph in 2.92 seconds and reach a top speed of 186 mph. An electronic limited-slip differential at the rear balances the power output between the left and right sides. A 101.7 kilowatt-hour battery pack offers a Chinese-market driving range of 438 miles between charges.
The YU7 GT rides on dual-valve CDC adaptive dampers. The braking system includes carbon-ceramic discs with Akebono six-piston front and four-piston rear fixed calipers, allowing for stops from 62 mph in 107.9 feet. Compared to the regular model, there’s a body kit with broader fenders, allowing for fitting 11.6-inch-wide tires at the rear. It also includes 24K gold carbon fiber badges and offers optional 21-inch forged two-piece wheels.
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The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Prototype may not be a sedan you can buy, but it’s derived from a model that also set its own lap record.
As its autonomous Nürburgring lap shows, the YU7 GT can drive itself, thanks in part to the Nvidia Drive AGX Thor computing platform, which includes LiDAR and 4D millimeter-wave radar. The SUV also comes loaded with other advanced tech, including XiaoAi AI Voice Assistant, an AI pet companion, and a voice-activated exterior parking function.
For those looking for a little more performance than the base model but less than the GT, there’s the YU7 Max. It has 681 hp and can reach 62 mph in 3.2 seconds. Plus, this grade of the SUV has a 472-mile range.
In China, the YU7 Standard starts at the equivalent of roughly $34,500, while the GT starts at $57,595. Potential buyers can schedule a test drive of them now. Given the tariffs on Chinese vehicles in this country, don’t expect the YU7 to come to the United States.
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CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Photos of the Xiaomi YU7 electric SUVXiaomi
It’s intriguing to see an automaker running an autonomous vehicle around the ‘Ring because we wonder if these attempts could become a new battleground for lap records at the track. While a 10-minute lap isn’t very impressive, these things have to start somewhere. Could other automakers bring their self-driving machines there to show off their tech, much like Chevrolet, Ford, and Porsche are competing this year for the sports car record?
Source: Nurburgring Via YouTube, Xiaomi, Nurburgring, 2, 3
