Image Credit: XiaomiChinese EV manufacturer Xiaomi, originally most famous for its mobile phones, has been in the news again over the past week. In June 2025, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra set an electric production car record at the Nurburgring, lapping the legendary racetrack with a time of 6:22.091. That beat the likes of the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar by an incredible seven seconds.Not content with that record, it made a return to the track one year later. This time, however, it took the YU7 GT around the circuit and set a lap time of just under 10 and a half minutes. While this was slower than what the SU7 Ultra had done, the YU7 set a very different record.This time, the EV manufacturer has set the world record for the fastest autonomous vehicle around the fabled circuit. Yes, you read that right: Xiaomi now holds a record at the Nurburgring for the fastest lap of a car without a driver at the wheel.AdvertisementAdvertisementAs a technical achievement, it is incredibly impressive. However, there are plenty who aren't sure what the purpose of this lap time was. Because while also being the fastest, it is also the slowest autonomous lap around the Nurburgring at the same time.How the Xiaomi YU7 GT Set Its Lap RecordThe track itself stretches across 12.9 miles, with more than 70 corners, and a typical family car would take around 10 minutes to lap it at speed. The YU7 GT set a lap time of 10:29.483 around the circuit, with zero input from a human, with all the driving being done by artificial intelligence.That is certainly no easy achievement. The car has to learn the track at an impressively fast rate, with the 'Ring featuring all sorts of undulation, bumps and changes of direction. Weight transfers, tire slip angles and braking decisions all play a part in how fast a car goes around a circuit. The autonomous systems in the car had to learn these changes very quickly.The fact it did so and was able to match lap times set by regular drivers who bring their own cars to the track is an impressive showcase of the technology under the skin. There is still some way to go before a car driven by AI can beat a real human. The computer will be programmed to survive the lap, whereas a regular driver would want to go as fast as possible. That is why the EV was over four minutes slower than what the SU7 was able to do on its record run.Not Everyone Was Impressed by the AI Lap TimeImage Credit: XiaomiSome publications and commentators weren't very excited by the speed shown off by the electric car. Jalopnik, for example, claimed it was unmoved by the record. They questioned the legitimacy of the lap, questioning why it mattered and if anyone would be inspired by it. They also pointed out that, while it is the fastest autonomous lap around the track, because it is the only one, it is also the slowest autonomous lap at the Nurburgring.AdvertisementAdvertisementXiaomi, however, did acknowledge that this lap wasn't the end-point for the technology. It stated this was just the starting point, and it's clear it intends to see just how fast an autonomous car can lap one of the world's greatest racetracks. The company and the track released the onboard footage of the lap, and it is certainly unnerving watching a driverless car go around the Green Hell.
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