Why Xiaomi Chose Sunwoda and CALB for Its Longjia Battery

Xiaomi’s move to Sunwoda and CALB is best understood as a change in its role in the battery supply chain. Rather than simply integrating packs built around a supplier’s standard technology, Xiaomi reportedly defined the Longjia battery’s requirements, led pack development, participated in cell design, and applied its own quality and safety processes. 1419

That does not prove CATL or BYD were unable to meet Xiaomi’s needs. The available reporting does not disclose a technical rejection, a contract dispute, or a precise saving. It points instead to a strategic preference for greater control, customized production, supplier competition, and a battery portfolio matched to different vehicle trims.

Why Sunwoda and CALB?

The Pengcheng Kunlun N3 range uses two suppliers for two different battery roles. The standard N70 is associated with a 52 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) pack supplied by Sunwoda, while the higher-specification N70 Max and N90 Max use a 76 kWh ternary lithium or NMC pack supplied by CALB. 1415

The supplier choice therefore appears connected to Xiaomi’s product definition rather than a simple ranking of battery makers. Reporting says Xiaomi set requirements around two battery capacities and required adjustments to cell specifications, factory inspection, and production processes. Sunwoda and CALB were reportedly willing to make those accommodations at competitive prices. 19

The commercial conclusion should remain cautious: lower cost and stronger bargaining power are reasonable inferences, but Xiaomi has not publicly detailed the relevant pricing, manufacturing agreements, or supplier negotiations in the evidence available.

What Xiaomi controls under the Longjia model

According to reporting on the Longjia battery, Xiaomi is involved across several layers of development:

• Product definition: Xiaomi sets the battery’s requirements for the vehicle and its intended trims.
• Pack engineering: Xiaomi leads the design of the complete pack rather than treating it as a black-box supplier component.
• Cell development: The company participates in defining the cells needed for the 52 kWh and 76 kWh configurations.
• Quality control: Xiaomi applies its own battery-safety framework and manages quality across the process. 19

This is part of a wider automotive shift from “buying cells” to “defining cells.” In that model, the automaker becomes more involved in materials, validation, manufacturing requirements, and quality systems while a battery specialist still manufactures the cells. 17

For Xiaomi, the advantage is not necessarily that it must manufacture every cell itself. It is that the company can specify the battery around its vehicles and ask more than one manufacturer to build to that specification. That can reduce dependence on a small number of dominant suppliers and make future sourcing more flexible.

A deliberate chemistry split: LFP for value, NMC for range

The Longjia lineup also shows Xiaomi using different chemistries for different customer priorities.

The 52 kWh LFP battery is used for the entry configuration. LFP is positioned in the available reporting as the lower-cost, reliability-oriented choice, while the 76 kWh ternary/NMC battery is used for versions emphasizing electric range and higher performance. 1415

This gives Xiaomi a clearer product ladder:

• LFP: smaller capacity and a lower-cost entry point.
• Ternary/NMC: higher capacity and greater range potential for premium trims.

Reports differ on exactly how the N70 Max’s battery options are presented. Some describe it as offering both the 52 kWh LFP and 76 kWh ternary packs, while other reports focus on the 76 kWh CALB battery for the Max version. 1142 The consistent point is that the Pengcheng family combines a 52 kWh Sunwoda LFP option with a 76 kWh CALB ternary option.

Longjia’s pack and thermal-management approach

The Longjia pack has been described as unusually flat, with the battery-management unit (BMU), battery-distribution unit (BDU), and cell-monitoring unit (CMU) placed in separate areas rather than concentrated in the main cell volume. The BDU is also reported to use dedicated liquid cooling. 19

Those choices suggest Xiaomi is treating the pack’s electrical controls, packaging, and thermal management as parts of one vehicle-specific system. The design is not merely about selecting a cell chemistry; it also determines where high-voltage components sit, how heat is managed, and how the pack fits beneath the vehicle.

Xiaomi has reported a thermal-safety test in which, at 55°C and a full state of charge, triggering thermal runaway in one cell did not produce thermal propagation, fire, or explosion elsewhere in the pack. 4 That remains a manufacturer-reported result: the supplied evidence does not provide enough detail about the test setup, instrumentation, failure conditions, or independent verification to make a broader comparative judgment.

How the N70, N70 Max, and N90 Max differ

Model	Reported battery	Claimed electric range	Positioning
N70	52 kWh Sunwoda LFP	270 km WLTC	Entry, rear-wheel-drive configuration
N70 Max	Up to 76 kWh CALB ternary/NMC; reports also describe a 52 kWh LFP option	Up to 505 km CLTC	Higher-range, dual-motor all-wheel-drive version
N90 Max	76 kWh CALB ternary/NMC	464 km CLTC; 1,705 km combined CLTC	Larger flagship SUV, including a seven-seat configuration

The N70 pairs its 52 kWh pack with a single 210 kW rear motor and is reported at 270 km of WLTC electric range. 15 The N70 Max adds a dual-motor system and, with the 76 kWh battery, reaches a claimed 505 km of CLTC electric range. 1113

The larger N90 Max uses the same reported 76 kWh ternary battery but achieves 464 km of CLTC electric range. Its larger body and available seven-seat layout help explain why its electric figure is lower than the N70 Max’s, while its range-extender system gives it a claimed 1,705 km combined CLTC range. 28

These figures use different testing cycles and should not be compared as if WLTC and CLTC were equivalent. They are also manufacturer or regulatory-report figures, not guarantees of real-world driving range.

The larger meaning for Xiaomi

The supplier change matters because it shows Xiaomi trying to own more of the battery’s definition without needing to own every stage of cell manufacturing. Sunwoda and CALB remain manufacturing partners, but Xiaomi reportedly controls more of the interface between vehicle requirements, cell design, pack layout, factory processes, and quality assurance. 1719

That approach offers three strategic benefits: a battery tailored to each vehicle, more freedom to use different chemistries, and greater flexibility when negotiating with suppliers. It also creates more responsibility. The more Xiaomi defines and validates the pack itself, the more directly its engineering and quality systems determine the final product.

The strongest conclusion is therefore not that Xiaomi found a universally better battery supplier. It is that the company is moving toward a “Xiaomi-defined, supplier-manufactured” battery model—using Sunwoda for the cost-focused LFP configuration and CALB for the longer-range ternary configuration while keeping more of the design and quality decisions in-house.