Three killed in Xiaomi SU7 crash while using autonomous driving mode
Three students died when their Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle operating in autonomous driving mode collided with a concrete barrier on a Chinese expressway. The system detected an obstacle and handed control back to the driver moments before impact. The incident prompted police investigation and widespread public concern about autonomous vehicle safety.
What happened
A Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle operating in Navigate On Autopilot (NAO) mode collided with a concrete barrier on the Dezhou-Shangrao expressway in Anhui Province, China on Saturday evening. The vehicle was traveling at 116 km/h when it detected an obstacle on a construction section of the highway and emitted a warning to alert the driver, according to Xiaomi. Within seconds, the vehicle struck the barrier at 97 km/h.
Three female students died in the crash. Videos posted on social media showed the vehicle engulfed in flames and later as a charred shell.
Reported impact
The incident prompted widespread concerns on Chinese social media about the reliability of Xiaomi's autonomous driving system, with users questioning the safety of the technology, why the vehicle caught fire, and whether emergency doors functioned properly.
A woman identifying herself as the mother of the driver posted on Weibo accusing Xiaomi of not contacting the families and of not taking the lives of the three young people seriously.
Index analysis
Xiaomi's stock price declined 5.49 percent on the day following the accident and fell an additional 0.86 percent to 46.10 Hong Kong dollars the next day, reflecting market sensitivity to safety incidents involving autonomous vehicle technology.
Governance controls
Xiaomi stated it would cooperate with police in the investigation of the fatal crash. Lei Jun, Xiaomi's founder, posted online saying his company had a heavy heart and would continue to cooperate with police inquiry.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.