What you need to know about the Chinese EV loved by Ford’s CEO and why you can’t get it in the US [Video]

Ford CEO Jim Farley said during a podcast interview that he’d been driving the Xiaomi Speed Ultra 7, a Chinese electric vehicle, for the past six months and that he didn’t want to give it up.

“It’s fantastic. They sell 10,000, 20,000 a month. They’re sold out for six months,” Farley said, calling Xiaomi an “industry juggernaut.”

This raises some questions.

First: What’s so compelling about this car? It’s pretty rare to hear a chief executive publicly extol their direct competitor. Why is it so impressive?

Second: How did Farley get the car to the US? And why can’t Americans get a car like that in the US?

Let’s dig in.

What is the Xiaomi SU7?

The SU7is Xiaomi’s first vehicle, arriving nearly three years after the Chinese smartphone and consumer-electronics giant announced plans …