31-year-old driver dies in Xiaomi SU7 crash after automatic door unlocking system fails

Summary

A 31-year-old driver died in a fiery crash involving a Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle in Chengdu, China, after the car’s doors failed to open following the collision. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday morning when the driver lost control, crashed into a median strip, and the vehicle caught fire. Bystanders attempted to break the driver’s side window and open the door but were unsuccessful, and firefighters could not save the driver despite extinguishing the flames. The Xiaomi SU7 is equipped with automatic door unlocking systems that are supposed to activate during a crash, but in this case, the system failed. The incident led to a sharp drop in Xiaomi’s stock, with shares falling as much as 8.7 percent. This crash adds to growing concerns about the safety of electronic door mechanisms in electric vehicles, as regulators in China consider potential restrictions on such designs.