Xiaomi Starts a New Brand, Sky Nomad, With a Five-Metre SUV

Xiaomi's extended-range plans finally have a name, Sky Nomad, and a first model to show for it: a five-metre family SUV called the N90.

This is a company that only started selling cars in 2024, and it is already moving faster than that would suggest. On July 8, 2026 Xiaomi confirmed the name of a new automotive sub-brand built entirely around extended-range electric vehicles: Sky Nomad, or Xiaomi Pengcheng at home in China. The badge's first model is the N90, a full-size SUV going straight at the family-hauler heavyweights that already rule the segment.

So far Xiaomi's car story has run through two models, the SU7 sedan and the YU7 crossover, both quick and both battery-only. Sky Nomad works differently. An EREV carries a combustion engine purely as a generator, topping up the battery so the car can cover long distances without hunting for a charger. That formula is what made Li Auto rich in China, and the N90 looks built to go after it.

A brand, not just another model

What Xiaomi actually confirmed on July 8 comes down to the name. Sky Nomad is being set up as a separate, comfort-oriented line for extended-range vehicles, with its own WeChat channel and city-screen ads instead of a slot under the existing Xiaomi Auto banner. Launching a brand this way suggests Xiaomi is planning for a lasting family of cars here rather than a single body style. The N90 just happens to be the model that opens the account.

Big, boxy and built to be seen

Reports put the N90 at roughly 5.3 metres long with a wheelbase near 3.1 metres. That is big, the same physical class as a Li Auto L9 or an AITO M9. The styling looks like a blockier version of Xiaomi's current design language: slim headlights described as a squared-off take on the YU7's "waterdrop" lamps, a high flat hood, a trapezoidal lower intake with vertical ducts at the bumper corners, and powered door steps that fold out to help people climb aboard. A LiDAR pod sits on the roof for the assisted-driving hardware Chinese buyers now expect. None of these figures are final Xiaomi specs yet, so treat the numbers as early previews and not locked-in data.

What might be under the skin

Item	Reported figure	Status
Range extenderGenerator only	1.5L turbo engine	Reported
BatteryUsable pack	Above 70 kWh	Reported
Electric rangeEV-only	400–500 km	Reported
Combined rangeEV + extender	Over 1,500 km	Reported
DrivetrainLayout	Dual-motor AWD	Reported

Every figure above comes from early Chinese reporting, not a finalized Xiaomi spec sheet. That 1.5-litre turbo engine is said to work strictly as a generator, so it never drives the wheels, while the range and battery numbers should firm up as the car nears its regulatory filing and launch. We are deliberately leaving out a power output or 0–100 time, because neither has been credibly confirmed.

A living room that rotates

The cabin is where the N90 gets interesting. Xiaomi has previewed a flexible interior that reportedly comes in both a five-seat 2+3 layout and a seven-seat 2+3+2 arrangement, plus front seats that swivel a full 180 degrees to face the rear, an idea from the same school of thought as the Zeekr MIX. A walk-through centre console lets people move up and back between the front seats. It is basically an SUV shell wrapped around an MPV-style lounge, which fits the "comfort first" pitch Sky Nomad is leaning on.

When you can actually buy one

A full reveal and launch are expected in the second half of 2026, with the N90 lining up against the Li Auto L9, AITO M9 and NIO ES8. Pricing has not been officially confirmed. Some Chinese outlets have floated an aggressive entry price for the Sky Nomad range, but until Xiaomi publishes real numbers that stays speculation. There is no official English-language press release for the brand yet either, so anything you read about the N90, this piece included, traces back to Xiaomi's Chinese announcement and local media previews.