March 14, 2025 – Xiaomi Unveils SU7 Ultra Luxury Vehicle, Featuring Alcantara Superfiber Upholstery as a Highlight
Xiaomi has recently launched its SU7 Ultra, a domestically produced “new luxury car” that has captured the attention of many with its intelligent driving features and outstanding performance. Equally notable is the vehicle’s high-end configuration of materials, particularly the use of 5 square meters of Alcantara superfine fiber fabric throughout the interior, showcasing Xiaomi’s commitment to quality.
Alcantara, a 100% Italian brand, is notably 70% owned by Japanese chemical giant Toray. This fabric, composed of approximately 68% polyester fibers and 32% polyurethane, boasts an appearance and texture remarkably similar to suede. According to Color Masterbatch Industry Network, it shares the same technology platform as Toray’s other product, Ultrasuede. Toray’s official website categorizes both materials as suede-textured superfine fiber fabrics, with annual production capacities reaching 10 million square meters and 12 million square meters, respectively.
So, what exactly is PU superfiber leather? The story dates back to 1966 when, with the introduction of scanning electron microscopes, Toray began researching and mimicking the microstructure of genuine leather. This led to the successful development of superfiber leather based on polyurethane/microfiber composite materials. By 1970, the industrialization of island-type superfine fibers marked a new revolution in the synthetic leather industry. PU/MF superfiber leather, with its superior properties, emerged as the innovative third-generation synthetic leather after PVC leather and conventional PU leather.
Compared to natural leather, superfiber leather offers advantages in thickness uniformity, mold resistance, material utilization, and cost. Currently, the domestic automotive superfiber leather market is primarily dominated by imports from Toray and its subsidiary, Italy’s Alcantara. However, there is vast room for domestic substitution, and Chinese companies are actively engaged in research and innovation, striving to make breakthroughs in this field.
In terms of environmental protection and water resistance, current research on superfiber leather focuses on the environmental safety and water resistance of polyurethane slurries. The adoption of relatively eco-friendly water-based polyurethanes to replace solvent-based PUs represents the main research and development direction for this high-end composite material. Nevertheless, WPU/MF superfiber leather still faces significant challenges in production quality stability, which is the fundamental reason it has not yet largely replaced solvent-based PU/MF superfiber leather.
Nonetheless, with continuous technological advancements and innovation, it is anticipated that domestically produced superfiber leather will emerge prominently in the international market in the future.