China's Xiaomi says it is cooperating with police after fatal EV accident

Xiaomi did not immediately confirm the number of casualties but said initial information showed the car was in the Navigate on Autopilot intelligent-assisted driving mode before the accident and was moving at 116 kph (72 mph).

A driver inside the car took over and tried to slow it down but then collided with a cement pole at a speed of 97 kph, Xiaomi said. Chinese media outlets reported the accident occurred in the Anhui province.

Xiaomi began manufacturing EVs last year with the launch of the SU7 sedan after selling smartphones, household appliances and smart gadgets for most of its 15-year history.

The company has two versions of smart driving systems on its SU7 EVs.

The higher-end LiDAR-mounted version, as opposed to the pure vision version, enables urban navigation features such as collision avoidance and special vehicle recognition.

Xiaomi said the car involved in the accident was a so-called standard version of the SU7, which has the less-advanced smart driving technology without LiDAR.