Xiaomi Auto is now marketing identity. For the launch of its next-generation Xiaomi SU7 – and for the first time since entering the auto market – it has brought in celebrity firepower to bear on a launch. This celebrity comes in the form of two high-profile faces: actress Shu Qi and famed sprinter Su Bingtian.
The pair have been named brand ambassadors, forming what Xiaomi is calling the ‘double SU’ pairing. That’s a pun if you didn’t get it. Su Bingtian and Shu Qi (yes, not quite Su, but close enough).
The Xiaomi SU7 sticks closely to the brief that made the original vehicle a hit. But this time, Xiaomi is doubling down on performance and smart tech, promising tighter handling, better stability and a smoother, safer drive.
Of course, the ambassador choice leans into that positioning. Shu Qi brings a kind of effortless, composed elegance – a nod to the ease and control Xiaomi wants drivers to feel. Her casting also has a layer of internet logic: when the first SU7 launched, Chinese netizens flooded social media with that homophonic link between her name and the car. Xiaomi has simply made the meme official.
Su Bingtian, meanwhile, is more of a proof point. China’s fastest man has been driving an SU7 Max since 2024, making him exactly the kind of real user Xiaomi says it wants to spotlight. It’s a strategy that even CEO Lei Jun has outlined.
Xiaomi has long built its brand around the people that actually use the products. For this brand, ambassadors aren’t just faces, they act more like feedback loops. This strategy has formed a fiercely loyal following. But it has its drawbacks. The blowup with KOL critic of the brand Universal Big Bear is a fine example.
Users who felt like they’d been betrayed kicked back and the partnership was dropped. For now though, Xiaomi’s brand strategy seems to be landing. Within 34 minutes of pre-orders opening, the new SU7 clocked more than 15,000 locked-in orders.
