Xiaomi shares slide 8.7% following fatal EV crash reports

Xiaomi shares dropped up to 8.7% on October 13 after reports surfaced of a Xiaomi SU7 EV door failing to open following a fiery crash in Chengdu, China, trapping at least one person.

Chinese media and social media videos showed bystanders attempting to open the car doors after the accident, which occurred early on October 13.

A National Business Daily report said the person was trapped in the driver’s seat, but authorities have not released details on injuries or deaths.

This incident comes months after a fatal crash involving a Xiaomi SU7 EV raised concerns over the safety of smart driving features in new cars.

The event may add scrutiny to electronically operated car door handles, a feature also seen in Tesla models.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating Tesla Model Y door handles in September, and Chinese regulators are reportedly considering a ban on fully concealed door handles.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Xiaomi SU7 emergency releases can fail when crashes deform doors

Xiaomi SU7 has mechanical pull handles in every door that work without power (physical levers that unlatch doors without electricity) 1. Locks auto-release when airbags fire 2.
Bent frames can jam latches and block handles 2.
Base SU7 uses 11 cameras, one radar for collision avoidance 2. Pro and Max add Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) with extra compute 2.
Store staff told Star Daily Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) rarely activates above 80 km/h 2. Xiaomi said builds cut speed by up to 70 km/h from 130 km/h, with a 135 km/h full stop planned via Over-the-Air (OTA) updates, below Lei Jun’s (Xiaomi’s founder and CEO) launch claim 2.

Draft China rules on hidden handles push mechanical backups

China’s draft standard for fully hidden door handles would require a mechanical release that works during power loss (a physical backup that still works without electricity) 3 4. If adopted, enforcement starts in July 2027 3 4.
The change would boost demand for semi-hidden handles with a graspable mechanical fallback, such as flush or pop-out designs with a physical fail-safe 5. NIO, Li Auto, and Xpeng (electric-car makers) use fully hidden systems 5.
Auto-part makers and safety test labs could see more work as carmakers retool 4. China is over 60% of global EV sales, so the rules could shape standards abroad 4.