Can Tesla truly fear only Ideal and Xiaomi?

During Ideal's Q1 financial performance call, Li Xiang revealed that the Ideal i8 will be officially launched in July, followed by the Ideal i6 in September. Clearly, Ideal's focus this year is firmly set on pure electric SUVs.

Much information about the Ideal i8 has already surfaced. Electric Car News previously analyzed that this pure electric SUV's price might heavily overlap with that of the Tesla Model Y. Recently, the latest spy shots of the Ideal i6 were leaked, and Electric Car News believes that the slightly lower-positioned Ideal i6 could potentially have a more significant impact on the Tesla Model Y.

Image source: Autohome

Frankly, there are quite a few domestic SUVs that claim to compete with the Tesla Model Y. However, once the May sales figures were released, these domestic cars seemed to fade into the background.

Statistics show that, within the SUV market with a price range of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, the Model Y is the only SUV with monthly sales exceeding 20,000 units. Domestic SUVs such as the Ledo L60, Zeekr 7X, and AITO 07 didn't manage to surpass 10,000 units in May sales. The only one that could keep pace was the Ideal L6.

One might argue that the Ideal L6 isn't a pure electric SUV and thus isn't comparable to the Model Y, but if the Ideal i6 inherits all the selling points of the Ideal L6, it might stand a good chance.

What kind of Ideal i6 does the market demand?

The spy shots of the Ideal i6 further confirm that Ideal doesn't spend excessively on design. The design of the Ideal i6 is almost identical to that of the Ideal i8: a longer through-type star ring light strip than the Ideal MEGA, smooth and rounded lines, and a watchtower-style LiDAR—all elements are familiar.

What's noteworthy is the side profile of the Ideal i6. Due to its slightly lower positioning compared to the Ideal i8, the Ideal i6 has an obvious downward trend starting from the B-pillar. The rear window has a significant inclination angle and is also integrated with a spoiler design, giving it a more sports-oriented coupe SUV visual effect.

Image source: Weibo @DaD_Attitude

Why not continue with the traditional SUV body of the Ideal i8? Electric Car News believes this to be a necessary change to match the performance of pure electric vehicles.

The Ideal L series is primarily targeted at the family market, with its design and configuration selling points catering to family users. For instance, a traditional SUV body can trade for larger storage space, and the extended-range system offers stronger endurance. The entry-level pure electric SUV Ideal i6 will attract many users who prioritize performance and appearance. Directly copying the design wouldn't bring much positive market feedback to the brand, and the officials need to rethink the styling.

Although there's no definitive news about the powertrain of the Ideal i6, referring to the Ideal i8, which is standardly equipped with dual-motor all-wheel drive and boasts a zero-to-hundred acceleration time as low as 4.3s, the upper limit of the Ideal i6 itself isn't that low. Moreover, the smooth line design of the coupe SUV can optimize aerodynamics and further unleash performance.

Interestingly, a car purchase exchange group for the Ideal i6 has emerged on social platforms. Some group members mentioned that their daily commutes aren't long, and they usually don't need to drive on highways. They hope for a two-wheel drive version of the Ideal i6 that's more endurance-oriented.

Image source: Weibo

Electric Car News believes it's a done deal that the Ideal i8 will come standard with a dual-motor all-wheel drive system across the range, but there's a high possibility that the Ideal i6 will offer a single-motor drive system.

Market demand dictates products. The Ideal i6 is still in the testing phase, but the real needs of potential car owners have already been exposed. As a new energy automaker that has already "turned losses into profits," Ideal Auto has the full capability to meet this demand.

Moreover, there aren't a few competitors challenging the Tesla Model Y, and the Ideal i6 needs a lower price to stand out. Providing a single-motor powertrain is indeed a good cost-reduction solution. Additionally, the new Tesla Model Y entry-level version also adopts a single-motor rear-wheel drive form, so it's justified for the Ideal i6 to use a single motor.

By now, we've already understood the basic strength of the Ideal i6. Its performance options are expected to be quite rich. In terms of styling, it's the rare sporty style within the Ideal Auto family. Although the interior hasn't been revealed, the configuration and design are highly likely to be highly similar to existing models.

As for the price, Electric Car News believes that the Ideal i8 is positioned at the 300,000 yuan level, and the slightly lower-positioned Ideal i6 is very likely to be priced in the 200,000 to 300,000 yuan range. To be more attractive than the Tesla Model Y, the starting price of the Ideal i6 should be at least lower than 263,500 yuan.

The two formidable competitors that make Model Y tremble have emerged

Last year, the Tesla Model Y faced numerous competitors, but most of them became "cannon fodder" in the automotive market. However, the Ideal i6 and the newly released Xiaomi YU7 are somewhat different.

The family market is the foundation of Ideal Auto. Even though the Ideal i6 has more of a performance flavor, the interior configuration won't sacrifice the family attributes for performance. The "refrigerator, TV, and large sofa" will naturally appear in the Ideal i6.

Electric Car News has experienced the Ideal MEGA and found that the entire vehicle has introduced a "rear-seat comfort mode" to enhance comfort. By coordinating power output and the chassis, rear passengers hardly feel the dizziness inherent in electric vehicles.

Image source: Ideal Auto official

Since it's targeted at family users, the Ideal i6 might gain fame as the "most comfortable pure electric SUV in its class." Other competitors also have similar product strategies, but Ideal Auto's family attributes are more deeply rooted in people's minds. The Ideal i6 using this strategy will only be more effective with less effort.

Xiaomi YU7 is probably familiar to everyone. At the previous new car launch event, Lei Jun compared Xiaomi YU7 with Tesla Model Y in all aspects of parameters.

Compared to the standard version, Xiaomi YU7 excels in terms of wheelbase, endurance, energy consumption, charging speed, and chassis hardware compared to Tesla Model Y. Although Lei Jun mentioned at the conference that such configuration performance of Xiaomi YU7 can't be achieved with less than 300,000 yuan, since it dares to openly compare with Model Y, the starting price of Xiaomi YU7 will definitely be lower than 263,500 yuan, and the expected starting price will fall within the range of 230,000 to 250,000 yuan.

Screenshot: Xiaomi Auto live stream

Ideal and Xiaomi are likely the only two competitors that can significantly pressure Tesla.

Xiaomi itself has a strong brand effect and market recognition. The success of Xiaomi SU7 is inseparable from its own strength and brand recognition, which allows it to surpass Model 3. Xiaomi YU7 is fully benchmarked against Tesla Model Y. If the price information released at the end of June is sufficiently surprising, it can completely "knock Tesla off its pedestal."

Ideal Auto already has the trump card of "comfort," and it has upgraded its intelligent configuration this year. The hardware and algorithms of the assisted driving system, the smart cabin experience, and the chassis system have all been optimized. It's expected that the Ideal i6 will use the brand's latest configuration. Relying on this alone, it can already seize a small share of the Model Y market.

If, on this basis, the performance or endurance of the Ideal i6 can surpass that of the Tesla Model Y, the market winning chances will be even greater.

At the beginning of this year, Tesla pushed out an article titled "Renewed Model Y, Despite the Comparison" to attract challenges from competitors. But when competitors come up with truly capable products to compete, it's unclear whether Tesla is panicking at this moment.

Even as strong as Ideal, there are growth hurdles?

As we all know, the fundamental reason for Ideal Auto's high sales figures is that the Ideal L series, which has no range anxiety, sells exceptionally well. The contribution of the only pure electric model, Ideal MEGA, is insignificant.

With the sales base of the Ideal L series, Ideal is no longer worried about money issues. What it needs to consider more is how to establish a foothold in the pure electric market.

To outsiders, even if the pure electric segment is sacrificed, Ideal won't lose too much money. However, Electric Car News believes that Ideal dare not assume that its extended-range SUVs can "win with one trick." Pure electric vehicles seem to be an enhancement project for Ideal, but in reality, they are a lifesaver.

Li Xiang believes that the delivery node for Ideal's pure electric products should be when there are 2,000 Ideal Supercharger stations in China. According to the latest official news, as of June 15, 2025, the Ideal Supercharger network has 2,451 stations nationwide, with 13,427 supercharging piles covering 232 cities.

It has to be said that the development speed of the Ideal Supercharger network is truly fast. After all, there were only 1,862 supercharger stations nationwide at the end of February. Nowadays, the Ideal Supercharger network has reached the qualified level set by Li Xiang, at least indicating that Ideal is ready to enter the pure electric SUV market.

Screenshot: Ideal Auto official

In addition to the charging system, the energy replenishment technology of the Ideal i series is also noteworthy. The official revealed that the Ideal i8 will be equipped with Ideal's self-developed 800V pure electric architecture, which reduces energy consumption by 10%, improves power output efficiency by 15%, and supports 5C fast charging, allowing for a 400km range replenishment in 10 minutes.

Although the Ideal Supercharger network isn't yet comprehensive, with the compatibility of third-party networks, the Ideal i series can at least attract users in first- and second-tier cities. When Ideal also becomes an "infrastructure maniac" like NIO, it will be able to establish a firm foothold in the pure electric field.

(Cover image source: Ideal Auto official)

Ideal | Xiaomi | Tesla | SUV | Model Y

Source: Leitech