JAKARTA - The results of the official investigation related to the accident involving a Xiaomi vehicle in Chengdu have finally been published. Based on the forensic report quoted by Chinese magazine Caixin, the car was traveling at a speed of around 167 km/h when the collision occurred.
The driver was reported to be unable to save himself because the vehicle door failed to open after the low voltage system lost power. The accident occurred on October 13, 2025 at around 03.00 in the morning.
A 31-year-old man named Deng was killed after his Xiaomi car collided with another vehicle on South Tianfu Road, Chengdu, then crossed the road divider and caught fire. The investigation also revealed that the victim was driving under the influence of alcohol.
Quoted also from Carnewschina, Thursday, February 26, in the Huaxi Sichuan Transportation Judicial Assessment Center Report revealed the chronology of vehicle speed before the accident. Three seconds before the collision, the car was estimated to be traveling at 203 km/h.
Then, the car's speed dropped to 167 km/h when it hit the vehicle in front of it, and was still at 138 km/h when it hit the central divider. The most worrying finding, according to safety experts quoted by Caixin, was the failure of the door system.
The report states that "the door cannot be opened from the outside because the collision caused the low voltage system to lose power, disabling the door handle opening function. The car is only equipped with an electric opening button on the outside without an emergency mechanical handle that can function when the electricity is off.
Eyewitness testimony at the scene described a dramatic situation. A witness named Yuan told Caixin that within five minutes of the collision, the vehicle had three fires.
Residents tried to help, but the car door could not be opened from the inside or outside. The video footage shows the hard work of several people pulling the driver's door until they staggered, but the door was still locked.
Another rescuer broke the glass with a wrench and tried to open the door from the inside, but the attempt failed shortly before a muffled explosion was heard from the bottom of the vehicle.
Xiaomi vehicles are known to use an electric door system with an emergency mechanical release that is difficult to reach from the outside. A Caixin reporter who verified it directly at the Xiaomi showroom said that someone had to stretch their hand completely through the window to be able to reach the emergency lever.
This case is recorded as the third Xiaomi vehicle fire incident throughout 2025, as well as the second incident that raises serious questions about the failure of the post-crash door. Previously, in March 2025, a Xiaomi SU7 was involved in an accident in Tongling, Anhui, which killed three people and also triggered similar concerns.
Responding to the safety issue, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has drafted new mandatory standards related to car door handle design. The rules approved in January require each door to be equipped with a mechanical handle that can still function without power, including after battery failure or excessive heat conditions.
Manufacturers are given a deadline of 2027 for new models and 2029 for existing models. On the other hand, the families of the victims rejected the conclusion that blamed the driver entirely. Their lawyers assessed that although the victim may be responsible for the collision, it does not necessarily rule out the existence of a safety issue in the vehicle that prevented the attempt to save themselves after the accident.
This incident also sparked a wide debate in the public space regarding the safety aspects of electric vehicles, especially regarding the design of doors and battery safety when there is a collision. The victim's family is reportedly still pushing for further investigations to determine whether there was a braking failure or loss of vehicle control before the accident occurred.
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