Xiaomi opens its own factory at Nurburgring: close to the GP race track, preparing for the European market in 2027

Hu Zhengnan, Xiaomi Vice President in charge of automotive technology, has just posted on Weibo the first images of Xiaomi's private workshop at the Nurburgring racetrack (Germany). The Twitter yard is located close to the Grand Prix racetrack, larger than the rented factory that Xiaomi used before, with parking, fast charging stations, separate track exits, bathrooms for drivers and a racing viewing room for guests. The post was later re-shared by founder Lei Jun. This is the next step after Xiaomi became the official automotive partner of Nurburgring in September 2026, opened an R&D center in Munich from September 2025 and confirmed plans to sell cars in Europe from 2027, starting from Germany.

Notably, one of the images from the factory shows a test vehicle covered with tarpaulin and camouflage stickers, with a shape similar to the SU7 Ultra. Chinese press said that this could be the next generation of SU7 Ultra. In September 2026, a Xiaomi test car was spotted at the Nurburgring with a large rear wing and possibly only two doors, rumored to be called SU7 Ultra Extreme. Xiaomi has not confirmed this information.

Twitter is located in the ring werk building, close to the starting line

Information about the workshop was first announced by Nürburgring on September 15, 2026. According to the racetrack operator, the ring werk building located next to the start and finish line of the GP racetrack will be converted into a multi-functional building, of which about 2/3 of the area is reserved for automobile businesses as a technology and development zone, the rest will still be open to visitors. Xiaomi is the first business to lease this area, and is also the official automotive partner of the Nurburgring. The area was designed according to Xiaomi's own requirements, from the workshop, development area to office and presentation room, with direct access to the racetrack. The project is constructed in stages.

Nurburgring: where Xiaomi built its reputation in Europe

Xiaomi uses Nurburgring as a laboratory and also a stage. On April 1, 2025, the commercial version SU7 Ultra ran around the Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 4.957 seconds with driver Vincent Radermecker, recognized by Nurburgring on June 11, 2025 as a new record for luxury electric cars (executive car). This record stood until May 7, 2026, when Porsche announced the Taycan Turbo GT with the Manthey package ran 6 minutes 55.533 seconds, more than 9 seconds faster.

On April 2, 2026, YU7 GT with Track Package ran around the Nordschleife in 7 minutes 22.755 seconds, ranking first in the electric SUV category as announced by the Nurburgring on May 21, 2026. According to AutoCN, the track package for YU7 GT is expected to open deposits this year.

These runs are not just promotional. Nordschleife is more than 20 km long with dozens of curves, rough road surfaces and large elevation differences, so it is the place European car manufacturers use to test the durability of brakes, suspension and battery cooling systems when the car runs at high intensity continuously. An electric car that wants to be sold in Europe with high performance positioning almost has to pass this test.

Munich, Nurburgring and plans for 2027

Twitter at the Nurburgring is a piece of the puzzle in Xiaomi's European plans. On September 26, 2025, Xiaomi opened an R&D center in Munich, its first automotive research center outside of China. According to Electrive citing Handelsblatt, the center has about 50 employees initially, focusing on high-performance vehicles and adjusting products to European standards. The head is Mr. Rudolf Dittrich, who used to work at BMW Motorrad; Xiaomi also recruited Mr. Kai Langer, former design director of BMW i. The company is also recruiting a country director and retail director for the European market.

On April 24, 2026, according to People's Daily, Mr. Lei Jun said Xiaomi will begin expanding cars internationally from 2027, with Germany as the first market. Xiaomi Auto's introduction page also clearly states that the company will "officially come to Europe in 2027". By July 30, 2026, Xiaomi said it had delivered more than 700,000 vehicles since launching the automotive segment. Looking at the chain of events from 2025 until now, it can be seen that Xiaomi is following the same path that many European car manufacturers have taken: setting up an R&D center in Germany, recruiting personnel from German car manufacturers, developing and testing cars right on the Nordschleife, then using achievements here to build an image before selling the car. The move from a rented factory to a private factory, designed on request and located right next to the racetrack, shows that the company sees this as a long-term operation instead of short-term test trips.