The owner of a Xiaomi SU7 died after a head-on collision sparked a fire in the vehicle, causing the doors’ electrical system to fail and preventing him from getting out.
The incident occurred in the morning hours of October 13, 2025 in Chengdu, China. The 31-year-old man was under the influence of alcohol when he collided with another vehicle before crossing the median.
At this point began Xiaomi– the electric car to burn. In a video that was shared on social media, people can be seen trying to break the windows to get the driver out of the burning vehicle.
According to a technical report published by the Chinese magazine Caixininvestigators concluded that the doors did not open from the outside because the fire caused the low-voltage system to shut down, disabling the feature that released the door handle.
The report added that Xiaomi SU7 do not have mechanical locks accessible from the outside, thus opening the doors depends solely on electric release buttons.
This was the third recorded case of fire in a Xiaomi SU7 in 2025, according to the website CarNewsChina. A similar accident in March, which led to three deaths, is what raised the authorities’ concerns about electric door systems.
In response, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology drafted a new set of regulations for car manufacturers. Under the updated regulations, manufacturers must ensure that the doors have mechanical opening mechanisms that work without electricity.
For new cars, car manufacturers have until 2027 to implement the changes, while the deadline for design changes on already existing models is set for 2029.
Xiaomi shares plunged nearly 9% after a fatal crash involving its SU7 electric car, Bloomberg reports
According to the outlet, a 31-year-old driver in China collided with another vehicle, crossed into the opposite lane, and the car caught fire. Witnesses tried to pull the man… pic.twitter.com/yPQ70FoKXN
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 13, 2025
Photo and video: Xiaomi / X @nexta_tv. This content was created with the help of KI and reviewed by the editors.
