Xiaomi unveiled its full-scale Vision Gran Turismo concept at MWC 2026, an electric hypercar created for the legendary Gran Turismo series. More than just a concept, this marks the first time a technology company has been invited to participate in the Vision Gran Turismo project. The journey began last year at the GT World Series in London, where Kazunori Yamauchi, producer of the Gran Turismo series, extended a personal invitation to Xiaomi. For the Xiaomi team, it was an opportunity to approach hypercar design from a tech company’s perspective, combining cutting-edge aerodynamics with artificial intelligence. “The invitation was a recognition of our achievements,” said Tianyuan Li, head of design at Xiaomi EV. “It allowed our teams in Munich, Beijing, and Shanghai to collaborate, push boundaries, and imagine what a hypercar of the future might look like if designed without limits.”
At the heart of the Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo is a fundamental question that every hypercar must answer: whether to prioritize ultra-low aerodynamic drag for straight-line speed or maximum downforce for cornering dominance. For an electric hypercar, the Chinese technology manufacturer believes that neither extreme is the optimal solution. The real breakthrough lies in finding the perfect balance between the two, the pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency rather than individual parameters. This philosophy gave rise to the concept’s fundamental design principle: “Sculpted by the wind,” designed to meet aerodynamic requirements without resorting to additional elements. Viewed from the side, the silhouette of the passenger compartment takes the shape of a teardrop. Every surface has been optimized for airflow, every structural element is shaped with an aerodynamic cross-section. The bodywork is sculpted with cutouts and air ducts that embed the teardrop-shaped passenger compartment in a larger aerodynamic architecture, forming channels that guide air throughout the vehicle. Air enters from the front, flows through these sculpted passages, and is efficiently expelled from the rear, following the path of the wind.
The interior of a hypercar is often associated with rigid and tense seating positions. Xiaomi has imagined a different approach: a smart, welcoming, and comfortable experience, like racing on a sofa. This vision has been transformed into the “Sofa Racer” concept, an interior philosophy that reinvents the concept of high-performance interiors. Xiaomi moves away from the traditional logic of bucket seats typical of most hypercars. Instead, the dashboard, door panels, and seats merge into a single cohesive ring, a continuous ring-shaped architecture that creates an enveloping cabin, gently but firmly enveloping the driver. The choice of materials reflects this warmth. Natural fabric, crafted using a 3D knitting technique borrowed from the sportswear industry, offers a breathable and supportive seating experience. At the center of this space is Xiaomi Pulse, a smart assistant integrated into the dashboard. Enveloping the driver 360 degrees, it connects to sensors throughout the vehicle, detecting the surrounding environment and the driver’s status and communicating through lights and sounds in natural and intuitive interactions.
