Xiaomi just made history. The first Chinese brand ever invited to the Gran Turismo Vision program. A program where Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, BMW, Bugatti etc. have previously been invited to design their most ambitious hypercar concepts. No production constraints. No compromises. Pure vision.
And Xiaomi didn't just submit a render. A full physical model will be revealed at MWC in Barcelona, Spain (2nd - 5th March 2026). They earned this invitation after the SU7 Ultra set a record at the Nürburgring.
Why does this matter beyond gaming?
Gran Turismo has evolved over 25+ years from a racing video game into one of the most powerful marketing platforms and technical validation tools in the automotive industry.
What makes this so effective as a marketing tool is the nature of the engagement. This isn't a 30 second commercial you watch once and forget. Players invest hundreds of hours behind the controller, driving every car, learning its behavior, building a personal connection with the brand. That level of immersion builds brand loyalty at a depth that no traditional advertisement can match.
I know this because I lived it.
My first racing game was Need for Speed III. My favorite car was the Mercedes CLK GTR. I had it as my desktop background. I never drove one, never even saw one in real life, but I still remember that car. Those foundational experiences shaped how I see Mercedes, how I see cars. And right now, a generation of teenagers is about to have that same experience with a Xiaomi.
Now, what Xiaomi actually showed.
Their starting question was different from a traditional OEM. They asked: if a tech company were to build a hypercar in the era of intelligent electrification, what would it look like? Not just fast in a straight line with the lowest drag. Not just fast in corners with maximum downforce. But what if you could find the perfect balance between both, dynamically, in real time? And what if the driving experience didn't have to be loud, stressful, but could also be intelligent, connected and comfortable?
That thinking shaped everything.
The body follows what they call a "sculpted by the wind" philosophy. It is a floating teardrop design where the cockpit sits inside what is essentially an aerodynamic tunnel, with air flowing simultaneously over the roof and through the underbody of the passenger cell. Every surface on this car serves an aerodynamic function. There is nothing decorative and nothing wasted.
The numbers: 0.29 drag coefficient, -1.2 downforce, 4.1 aerodynamic efficiency. For an EV hypercar, that last number is critical, it means track-level performance.
How they achieve it:
The car features an active underfloor system that adjusts the balance between drag and downforce in real time while driving. Rather than designing for one fixed aerodynamic profile, the car continuously optimizes itself depending on whether you need straight-line efficiency or cornering grip.
At the rear, they developed an active wake control system that uses tiny nozzles to generate airflow that pushes air further away from the body. There is no traditional spoiler. Instead, it works almost like an invisible hand guiding the air behind the car, reducing drag without the aerodynamic penalty of a physical wing.
Perhaps the most fascinating detail is the magnetic floating wheel cover. The cover stays completely stationary while the wheel spins underneath it, eliminating the aerodynamic losses that come from the rotation of exposed wheel surfaces. It is a small detail that reveals how deeply they thought about every source of drag on this car.
Even the rear of the car is designed to be a highly efficient outlet.
Then they flipped the interior, to blend intelligence, comfort and performance into one. A cocoon shaped sofa where the dashboard, door panels, and seats flow into one continuous loop that embraces you.
The steering uses an H-shaped steer by wire wheel that integrates physical controls with a digital information display. A beautiful hyper vision, and the full Xiaomi HyperOS ecosystem is built in to connect with personal devices.
They also designed a home driving simulator that doubles as living room furniture, so players can experience the Vision GT from their sofa at home. It is brilliant marketing and a brilliant achievement, and it is exactly the kind of move that only a tech company this far ahead in ecosystem integration could realistically pull off. The car, the game, and the living room all connected seamlessly.
When a Chinese tech company earns a seat at the same table as other major OEMs to design for Vision GT, it is worth paying very close attention.
That's it. Thank you for reading.
P.S: These are screenshots from the Live Event I took.
Haseeb