The stupidest accessory award goes to Xiaomi

For $5,800, Xiaomi offers a purely decorative carbon fiber “nostril” racing hood!

Xiaomi, freshly entered the electric vehicle market with its SU7 Ultra, is still making headlines. Not for its performance or technological innovation, but for an accessory choice that borders on the absurd: a carbon fiber hood costing 42,000 yuan ($5,800), with vents that, spoiler alert, serve absolutely no purpose.

Announced excitedly by Lei Jun, founder of Xiaomi, during a four-hour New Year livestream, this optional hood promised to turn the average Joe’s SU7 Ultra into a racing beast ready for the Nürburgring. The dream, right? Well, until the first buyers uncovered the bitter truth.

Because yes, Xiaomi promised wonders: a weight reduction of 1.3 kg (wow), an “ultra-complex” manufacturing process using a hot press, and vents supposedly capable of competing with those of Ferrari or Porsche. The result? A hood that barely reduces your carbon footprint but seriously inflates your wallet. As for these so-called vents… the first owners had the good idea to let a gust of air pass through (thanks, hairdryers), only to find that airflow was as smooth as in a dead-end.

Where true sports car vents play a crucial role – cooling, stabilizing, impressing – Xiaomi’s vents are just… decorative. And even that is relative. Once the panel is removed, surprise: the interior is identical to the non-optional version, proving that these “nostrils” are purely cosmetic.

In short, for $5,800, you get an accessory perfect for showing off at dinners (but definitely not on the track). A valuable lesson for Xiaomi, which learns that in the automotive world, you can’t cheat car enthusiasts. For users, perhaps another lesson: always read between the lines of marketing promises, especially when they cost more than an electric scooter.

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