the apex angle

Speed Doesn't Speak Euro Anymore

- Rohit Paradkar

For decades, the conversation around speed has been dominated by European marques. If it wasn't bred in Stuttgart, born in Sant'Agata, or wind-tunnel tested somewhere in Molsheim, it simply didn't qualify for poster status on your bedroom wall. The holy trinity of top speed, lap times, and exotic tech was a playground strictly reserved for the Italians, Germans, Brits, and the occasional Swede or American. China? That was where the toy cars were made. Not trophies.

Well, that script has just been torn, chewed, and hurled off the race line.

Let's start with the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra. Yes, Xiaomi! The brand best known for smartphones, power banks, and those weighing scales you bought at a discount during the pandemic. Their new electric sedan just clocked a stunning 7:04.957 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, making it the fastest EV production car to lap the 'Green Hell.' That puts it ahead of Porsches and Teslas, and firmly in the same sentence as some of the most hallowed badges in automotive history.