NIO has taken the wraps off its ET5 four-door sedan in Suzhou this week. The mid-size battery electrical automobile will go on sale as a rival to the Telsa Mannequin 3 throughout the subsequent 12 months.
The ET5 is alleged to supply over 550km of driving vary when fitted with the 75-kWh Commonplace Vary battery, greater than 700km when optioned with the 100-kWh Lengthy Vary battery, and in extra of 1000km when the 150kWh Ultralong Vary battery is fitted. All vary figures are measured towards China’s CLTC testing protocols.
Nio quotes a 0-100km/h time of simply 4.3 seconds for its sporty sedan and provides a efficiency braking system, which its maker says can haul the ET5 from 100km/h to zero in simply 33.9 metres.
The mannequin rides on a five-link impartial suspension all spherical and provides as many as eight completely different driving modes.
The Chinese language producer at the moment provides a variety of SUVs together with the EC6, ES6 and ES8, in addition to a Mannequin S rival dubbed the ET7. It additionally provides an extravagant hypercar often known as the EP9.
Nio sells its merchandise in China and Norway for the time being, however the firm says it has plans to export to greater than 25 international locations earlier than 2025. It has already secured exports to Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden; though it’s nonetheless unclear whether or not right-hand drive markets will type a part of that plan, it’s doable that Australia might be one of many international locations .
The ¥328,000 (A$72,300) Nio ET5 options streamlined styling (contributing to a drag coefficient of 0.24Cd) with slim lighting components entrance and rear, frameless home windows, a lift-back fashion tailgate, flush-mounted door handles, Alfa Romeo-esque alloy wheels and what seems to be a rear-facing digital camera built-in into the entrance fenders.
The ET5 provides semi-autonomous driving applied sciences just like these provided within the Hyundai IONIQ5, Polestar 2 and Tesla Mannequin 3.
Inside, the minimalist cabin options an nearly naked dashboard with a big 10.2-inch portrait-orientated infotainment display screen and digital instrument cluster. The air vents are hid from view whereas a easy rocker swap replaces the normal transmission lever.
Nio says it makes use of sustainable supplies and fabric throughout the ET5’s cabin and that entry and exit is keyless with “smooth shut” doorways.
Nio additionally guarantees to take in-car leisure to the subsequent degree, including a panoramic digital display screen that makes use of augmented actuality know-how and particular glasses to supply passengers the equal of a 201-inch viewing display screen, in addition to Dolby Atmos encompass sound system.
Nio says its ET5 is engineered to attain a five-star crash score beneath C-NCAP and EuroNCAP protocols.
Talking on the mannequin’s unveiling, Nio founder, CEO and chairman William Li mentioned he was optimistic that his model would proceed to develop its success within the years forward.
“The yr of 2021 is filled with challenges. With a optimistic and optimistic angle and outlook, Nio has grown along with its customers,” Mr Li mentioned.
“In 2022, we’ll proceed to double down on product and know-how improvement, speed up the deployment of our service community, and enter extra markets globally. We’re assured concerning the street forward.”
