The Chinese EV firm Nio has revealed its first saloon car, the ET7, which is due to go on sale in the country in 2022 with a range of more than 600 miles and offering autonomous driving features.
The firm, founded by Chinese tech entrepreneur Williams Li, currently offers a range of electric SUVs and crossovers aimed at the fast-growing Chinese premium market. It also has aspirations to eventually expand globally, including to the UK
This is Nio’s first saloon – a direct Tesla Model S rival that’s due to go on sale early next year. It’s called the ET7 and the big news is the range that it promises to offer. The top of the line model has an enormous 150kWh battery pack, boosting over 621 miles from a single charge!
Ok, granted that’s using China’s NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) testing protocol – Europe’s WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) test would likely give a lower, more realistic figure.
You may have noticed the slightly raise section above the windscreen? This is the home of the 33 “high performance sensing units” built-in to the ET7 that together generate eight gigabytes of data per second. Nio says the ET7’s “full stack autonomous driving technology” gives a “safe and effortless point-to-point autonomous driving experience that gradually covers urban, expressway, parking, and battery swapping scenarios”.
The ET7 is lively enough, with twin e-motors producing a combined 644bhp taking the vehicle from 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds. And it ought to be comfortable too, with standard air suspension that scans the road ahead to look for bumps…impressive right!?
The interior is typically minimalist, with a 12.8-inch AMOLED display running the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon platform and 5G.
The ET7 is due to launch in China early in 2022, with a starting price of around £51,000, although this can be reduced by opting to pay for batteries through a subscription service. While 19 of the ET7’s driver assistance features will be standard, accessing the full AD as a Service feature will require a monthly subscription of around £80.
Although we may not see the ET7 or NIO EV’s in the UK for some time, it is exciting to see NIO’s enhanced technology, and exceptional promise of range and performance for its drivers to enjoy!
What do you think?
