On the evening of March 31, videos and images of the incident circulated widely online. Some individuals claiming to be family members or the boyfriend stated that after the vehicle collided with the guardrail, the doors locked, the battery exploded, and all three occupants—female students traveling to Anhui for a civil service exam—died in the incident.

On April 1st, some media reported that they had learned from the Tongling City Zongyang County Government Office that the accident indeed resulted in 3 fatalities.

Caption: Accident vehicle; Image source: Posted by a netizen

It is reported that the vehicle involved in the "highway collision resulting in explosion and casualties" incident was an SU7 standard version.

According to China News Weekly, in response to netizens' concerns about car doors being unable to open after a power outage, Xiaomi Automotive staff stated that emergency release handles are installed below the inner door panels and in the storage compartment areas of all four doors. These emergency handles are mechanical locks, which can still open the doors even if the battery is damaged, and can be used in emergency situations.

On April 1st at noon, industry media also called the Xiaomi Auto official customer service hotline to seek answers regarding the aforementioned questions. The customer service staff stated that if the vehicle loses power and the door locks are stuck, one can try to find the emergency unlock mechanism under the vehicle, "the vehicle is equipped with a mechanical handle that can be used to open it even in the event of a power failure."

Later, the reporter asked whether the relevant settings would be communicated to buyers or if safety training would be provided at the time of sale, to which the representative said they were unsure. When the reporter further inquired whether Xiaomi Cars had recently received any feedback about doors being locked and unable to open, the aforementioned customer service personnel stated that they had not received any related information so far.

According to reports, the SU7 user manual on Xiaomi Auto's official website provides the following guidance in the section on "Opening Doors from Inside the Vehicle": "When the entire vehicle is locked, if the interior door unlock button fails or in emergency situations requiring door opening, you can pull the emergency mechanical release handle inside the door to open it."

Gasgoo has learned that the current accident has triggered public opinion on the safety of intelligent driving, with core questions including:

One is the door locking mechanism. Does the online claim that "doors automatically lock after a collision" affect escape.

The second is the boundary of responsibility for assisted driving. Whether the deceleration amplitude (from 116km/h to 97km/h) after the system identifies an obstacle is sufficient.

Third, the driving factor of the non-owner. Xiaomi confirmed that the driver at the time of the incident was not the registered owner of the vehicle, whether it involved improper operation needs to be investigated.

Fourthly, high-speed maintenance, lane closure, and road closure are high-frequency scenarios. Can assisted driving tools provide effective and reliable alerts or safety responses?

On April 1, Xiaomi Company Spokesperson's official Weibo announced the details of the aforementioned incident handling.

On March 29, 2025, at 22:44, a Xiaomi SU7 Standard Edition was involved in a serious traffic accident while traveling on the Chiqi section of the De-Shang Expressway. We deeply mourn this tragic incident.

According to preliminary information, the vehicle was in NOA (Navigate on Autopilot) intelligent assisted driving mode before the accident, continuously driving at a speed of 116 km/h. The construction site on the road had set up barriers to close off the lane, redirecting traffic to the opposite lane. After detecting an obstacle, the vehicle issued a warning and began to decelerate. Subsequently, the driver took control of the vehicle into manual driving mode, continuing to decelerate and steer the vehicle. The vehicle then collided with a concrete barrier, and the last confirmed speed by the system before the collision was approximately 97 km/h.

After the collision, we immediately contacted the vehicle owner to understand that a non-owner was driving. Meanwhile, we called for emergency assistance for the passengers in the vehicle and reported to the police, as well as called for 120 emergency medical services.

Following this, the police arrived at the scene immediately and took full charge of the accident investigation. At the same time, we set up a special task force that rushed to Tongling on the 30th, cooperating with the investigation, evidence collection, and other tasks under the guidance of the police. On the evening of the 31st, we legally submitted to the police all the vehicle driving data and system operation information we had. We will continue to fully cooperate with the police's work and strictly follow the investigation results to ensure the event is handled in an open and transparent manner.

At the same time, our special team will also contact the families of the accident victims with the permission and guidance of the police, fully assist with the aftermath, and provide support and help.

We hereby summarize and publish the information we currently know and have submitted to the police as follows:

On April 1, Gasa Auto noted that after Xiaomi's official statement was released, the company's stock price fell by over 5% during trading, and as of the time of reporting, it had decreased by 5.89%.