Locked Doors Trapped Driver in Fatal Xiaomi Crash, Caixin Says

The door handles of a bestselling Xiaomi Corp. electric vehicle failed and trapped its driver in an inferno during a fatal 2025 crash, Caixin reported, a development likely to intensify pressure for China to phase out such designs.

The SU7 sedan, driven by a 31-year-old man surnamed Deng, crashed into another car before striking a planted median in the southwest city of Chengdu last October, Caixin said Wednesday, citing official findings. The impact damaged the low-voltage system that powered the door handles, rendering them inoperable, it said.The doors lacked an exterior mechanical emergency release, according to a local forensic laboratory report cited by Caixin.