(Yicai) April 1 -- Xiaomi Automobile, the electric vehicle unit of Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi, has received more than 20,000 irrevocable orders for its first model in less than 48 hours of the car going on sale, according to an insider. The carmaker has lengthened its delivery times because of the surge in orders.

Orders that can be canceled within seven days reached nearly 89,000 within 24 hours of the SU7’s debut on March 28, the insider told Yicai. The downpayment is CNY5,000 (USD690).

During a visit to three Xiaomi Auto stores in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou on the first weekend after the SU7’s launch, Yicai found the showrooms crowded, with long lines of people outside waiting to get in. Some buyers even stayed until late at night for a test drive.

Sales staff have been working until the early hours of each day, they told Yicai, noting that such lively scenes have not been seen in the auto industry for years.

Xiaomi's store in the Huaxi LIVE·Wukesong neighborhood of Beijing has six test drive vehicles for those who have ordered the SU7, an employee said. Most customers join long waiting lines without having ordered the car, but some order on the spot to shorten the waiting time, with three such cases within an hour that day, he added.

A salesperson at Xiaomi Auto's sales service center in Guangzhou told Yicai that most visitors are young. “The store has four SU7s for test drive, and customers who have paid the deposit have priority in using three of them, while the other is for those who haven’t placed an order," the person said.

Xiaomi Auto has extended the initial delivery time of the SU7 due to the soaring number of orders. Its app showed that the waiting time for the SU7 standard version is at least 16 weeks as of 9.30 p.m. on March 31, while that of the SU7 Max is up to 29 weeks, Yicai found.

The delivery time of the SU7 will likely be around one month, sales staff told Yicai early last week before it went on sale.

The first phase of Xiaomi's auto plant in Beijing has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units. Xiaomi Auto will likely deliver 60,000 to 80,000 cars this year, which can reach up to about 100,000 units, according to estimates by several research institutes.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev