Last week, Polyphony Digital announced Gran Turismo 7 – the latest installment of the long-running video game series – will soon feature a Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, the Chinese electric sedan which has been setting records on the world stage.
The first-ever Chinese EV to feature in the Gran Turismo franchise has been making headlines in recent months, with a prototype version smashing the unofficial electric vehicle record around the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
While the car set to feature in GT7 will be the more toned-down production version, the real-life sedan can produce almost 1140kW and sprint from 0-100km/h in a claimed time of under two seconds.
Like many other carmakers, Xiaomi has also been invited to create its own bespoke ‘Vision Gran Turismo’ car for the game, which can be designed without regulatory bounds.
It’ll be welcome positive press for Xiaomi, which last month landed in hot water for first limiting the power output of the SU7 Ultra via a remote update, and then fitting some versions of the sedan with an expensive ‘high-performance’ bonnet which didn’t actually provide any extra ventilation.
It also received mixed opinions when it posted footage of the aforementioned Nürburgring lap time, having gone further than just fitting it with grippier tyres and a roll cage – instead the track monster received even wilder aerodynamic parts.
Still, Xiaomi has received praise from unlikely sources, such as Ford CEO Jim Farley, who got behind the wheel of the SU7 Ultra – and loved it.
“I don’t like talking about the competition so much, but I drive the Xiaomi,” Farley said on the Fully Charged podcast last year.
“We flew one from Shanghai to Chicago, and I’ve been driving it for six months now, and I don’t want to give it up.”
While the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra will be the first Chinese EV in the Gran Turismo franchise, Forza Motorsport beat it to the punch by introducing the MG Cyberster, Wuling Hongguand, and Lynk and Co 05+ in a recent purchasable package.
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