Xiaomi has taken its next big step in the car business, and this time it isn’t another electric car. The Chinese technology giant has unveiled the SkyNomad N90, a full-size plug-in hybrid SUV that marks the debut of SkyNomad, a new sub-brand under the Xiaomi umbrella. After the SU7 electric sedan and the YU7 electric SUV, this is Xiaomi’s first vehicle with a petrol engine on board, though notably, that engine never actually drives the wheels.
The SkyNomad N90 uses what’s known as a series plug-in hybrid setup, sometimes called a range-extender EV. In simple terms, the car is fundamentally electric, a 76kWh battery pack drives two electric motors that together produce 420bhp and allow a top speed of 190kph — but a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine is included purely to act as a generator. Once the battery’s electric-only range of 370km runs out, that petrol engine kicks in, burning fuel not to power the wheels directly but to keep the battery topped up, with the whole hybrid system rated at 15.9km/l. It’s a layout designed to combine EV-like driving character with the peace of mind of a petrol backup, particularly useful for a vehicle of this size and weight.
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And size is very much the point here. The SkyNomad N90 is a genuinely massive SUV, measuring 5,285mm in length, 1,998mm in width and 1,825mm in height, with a 3,080mm wheelbase. It tips the scales at a hefty 2.8 tonnes and sits on 21-inch alloy wheels. For reference, that puts it firmly in full-size luxury SUV territory, rivalling the largest SUVs on sale globally in outright footprint.
Visually, the SkyNomad N90 draws obvious comparisons to BYD’s Denza N9, a similarly sized rival with a somewhat similar-sounding name, though the two differ in wheelbase and overall silhouette. It’s a comparison Xiaomi will likely have to keep answering as SkyNomad establishes its own identity in a segment that’s rapidly filling up with large, tech-forward Chinese SUVs competing on both space and gadgetry. The Xiaomi gets a boxy, stately design language, headlined by a large SkyNomad badge mounted in a plaque up front, flanked by T-shaped LED headlights. There’s also a distinctive bulb-like housing above the windshield that contains the SUV’s ADAS sensor hardware. Around the rest of the body, Xiaomi has gone with semi-flush door handles for a cleaner look, a slim rectangular LED tail-light signature at the rear, and a hidden wiper tucked beneath a large integrated spoiler.
Where the SkyNomad N90 really tries to differentiate itself is inside. The cabin leans hard into the idea of the SUV as a lounge on wheels rather than just a mode of transport. There’s a large central touchscreen with virtually no physical buttons left on the dashboard, tan-finish leather upholstery throughout, and multiple sunroofs to keep the cabin feeling open. Buyers get a choice between a 5-seat and a 7-seat layout, and both configurations lean into comfort in very different ways.
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In the 5-seat version, the third row is dropped entirely, and Xiaomi uses that freed-up space between the first and second rows to fit a large fold-out coffee table — essentially turning the rear cabin into a lounge area. The 7-seat configuration instead gets powered, reclining captain’s chairs in the second row, complete with their own ottomans for a business-class feel. The real party trick, though, is that the front seats can swivel around to face the second row entirely. Combined with the fold-out table and reclining rear chairs, this effectively turns the SkyNomad N90’s interior into a mobile meeting room, or with the seats reclined, a makeshift sleeping space for long journeys or overnight stops.
The choice to launch a series plug-in hybrid as SkyNomad’s first product is also telling, it suggests Xiaomi is hedging against buyers not yet fully sold on pure EVs, offering the electric driving experience most of the time while sidestepping range anxiety on longer trips.
Taken together, the SkyNomad N90 signals that Xiaomi isn’t just interested in chasing EV sales volume with affordable, tech-laden cars — it’s now also going after the premium, comfort-first end of the market with a completely different powertrain philosophy. Whether the range-extender hybrid approach and the swivel-seat, mobile-lounge interior resonate with buyers used to more conventional luxury SUVs remains to be seen, but there’s no denying Xiaomi has thrown something genuinely different into the mix with its third vehicle in as many years. For now, there’s no word on international availability, so it remains to be seen whether the SkyNomad N90 makes its way beyond the Chinese market anytime soon.
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