A fatal high-speed crash involving a Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan has sparked serious safety concerns and a sharp market reaction as the vehicle’s doors reportedly failed to open.
Due to this, the driver was trapped inside a fiery blaze in the early hours of Monday, October 13.
The accident occurred around 3:16 a.m. on Tianfu Avenue in Chengdu.
As reported by local police, the 31-year-old driver surnamed Deng first hit another vehicle before veering into oncoming traffic and slamming into a median barrier.
The effect made the car burst into flames almost immediately.
Much of the distressing footage taken on site showed passersby and subsequent rescue personnel angrily but with no success attempting to open the doors or break the windows as the fire swept through the cabin.
It is assumed that a power outage after the crash resulted in the failure of the electronic door system creating a death trap. The driver was declared dead at the spot.
Although initial investigations by the police indicate that drunk driving could be a possible cause, the tragedy has raised questions about the safety measures used in the SU7.
This accident comes after their recall of more than 116,000 SU7s a month ago to deal with a software stability problem and a deadly car crash that claimed the lives of three students in March.
The market responded quickly and the shares of Xiaomi dropped by almost 9 percent as investors struggled to come to terms with reputational and legal consequences of the situation.
By Monday evening, Xiaomi had not sent an official statement about the crash, and it is likely to lead to an extended debate on the safety measures of next-generation electric cars.
