A world premiere at the Nürburgring Nordschleife: for the first time in its almost 100-year history, a fully autonomous vehicle has completed an officially timed lap of the 20.8-kilometre circuit. The Xiaomi YU7 GT equipped with the Track Package completed the Nordschleife in 10:29.483 minutes – without a driver on board. As a result of this milestone achievement, the Nürburgring's official record classifications have been expanded to include the new category “Autonomous Driving”.
"Since its completion in 1927, the Nürburgring Nordschleife has served as the ultimate proving ground for automotive engineering worldwide — from production car lap records to manufacturer R&D testing, it remains one of the most comprehensive vehicle dynamics testing circuits on the planet. Xiaomi EV's challenge has created an entirely new category that did not previously exist within the Nürburgring's official timing system, giving the century-old Nordschleife new significance in the era of autonomous driving", Xiaomi resumes in recognition of the legendary Green Hell.
“The Nordschleife has been a place where automotive innovations are developed and tested under real-world conditions for almost 100 years. Testing and development at the Nürburgring are firmly embedded in the automotive industry’s development processes. Xiaomi’s successful autonomous lap demonstrates how technology continues to evolve and confirms that the Nordschleife remains a relevant and forward-looking development location for new challenges and future mobility concepts,” said Christian Stephani, Managing Director of the Nürburgring.
Onboard through the Green Hell
The record lap of the Xiaomi YU7 GT with Track Package is now available on the Nürburgring YouTube channel. The onboard footage from the cockpit of the vehicle offers the opportunity to relive this lap.
Information about the official “Nürburgring record laps”
The following principle applies to all drives: one track, one complete lap, one time – according to uniform standards. In addition to timekeeping with calibrated measuring technology, official record attempts and attempts to achieve a lap time are always accompanied by a notary. In addition to monitoring the timekeeping, the vehicle is also inspected. TÜV Rheinland checks for standard conformity and documents this. The exact length of the track and the start and finish lines are precisely defined. A full lap of the Nordschleife is driven and measured with a flying start (20.8 kilometers). The vehicle categories for record drives and official lap times at the Nürburgring are divided into different segments by the Federal Motor Transport Authority and specially defined special classes.